Four loops into three on Asia-ECSA

   The liner carriers Hamburg Sud, Maersk Line, CMA CGM, CSAV, and China Shipping will merge four services into three on the trade linking Asia, South Africa, and the east coast of South America.
   Hamburg Sud and Maersk Line jointly run two services at present, as do CMA CGM, CSAV, and China Shipping. The consortiums have agreed to merge one service each into a jointly run loop, with the other two services unaffected.
   The lines will merge the Hamburg Sud/Maersk ASAS/NGX Sling 2 loop with the CMA CGM/CSAV/China Shipping ASAX/SEAS Sling 2 loop.
   The rotation of the joined service will be Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Durban, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranagua, Itajai, Santos, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Hamburg Sud said the service will be operated with 11 vessels of between 4,200 and 4,600 TEUs, but didn’t specify which lines will provide the ships.
   According to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data the existing ASAS/NGX Sling 2 service has a rotation of Shanghai, Nansha, Hong Kong, Singapore, Durban, Suape, Sepetiba, Itajai, Santos, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. It’s operated with 11 ships (four each from Hamburg Sud and Maersk, with three unconfirmed) with an average capacity of 4,356 TEUs.
   The existing ASAX/SEAS Sling 2 loop has a rotation of Shanghai, Ninbgo, Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shekou, Port Kelang, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranagua, Itajai, Santos, Rio e Janeiro, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. It’s operated with 10 vessels (five from CMA CGM, three from CSAV, and two from China Shipping) with an average capacity of 4,258 TEUs.
   Hamburg Sud said the rationalization, which is to take place from Dec. 24 through May 2012, was made “in an effort to balance supply and demand during the forthcoming traditional period of weaker demand.”
   The constortiums will run their respective ASAS/NGX Sling 1 and ASAS/SEAS Sling 1 loops independently.