G6 lines move up start of Asia-Europe pact

   Member lines in the Grand and New World alliances said Wednesday they have moved up the start date of their joint alliance on the Asia-Europe trade.
   The so-called G6 Alliance was due to start April 1, but instead the six member lines (APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL, NYK Line, and OOCL) will start offering six combined services between Asia and Northern Europe/Mediterranean from March 1.
   That’s in addition to an existing service the lines offer between Asia and the Mediterranean.
   The lines said a seventh service will be added “when it can be supported by sustainable trade conditions.” That service will provide direct coverage to the Bohai Bay ports of Dalian and Xingang.
   The joint alliance will also start a new Asia-Black Sea service from the first week of April.
   “We are eager to roll out our competitive products to benefit customers by offering a comprehensive and increased coverage of 40 ports in the Asia-Europe market with more sailing frequency,” the members said in a statement. “Customer response to the G6 Alliance is strong, the latest economic condition in the trade supports the timing of the launch, and we are ready to meet the market’s expectations.”
   The loops to launch in March are (subject to berth availability):

• Loop 1: Kobe, Nagoya, Shimizu, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Cai Mep, Singapore, Jeddah, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Le Havre, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kobe.
• Loop 3: Shanghai, Ningbo, South China, Singapore, Tangier, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Gdansk, Gothenburg, Rotterdam, Jeddah, Singapore, South China, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
• Loop 4: Ningbo, Shanghai, South China, Singapore, Southampton, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Singapore, South China, and Ningbo.
• Loop 5: Gwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, South China, Singapore, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Thamesport, Singapore, and Kwangyang.
• Loop 6: Kaohsiung, Xiamen, South China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Colombo, Southampton, Antwerp, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Jebel Ali, Singapore, South China, and Kaohsiung.
• Loop 7: Qingdao, Shanghai, Hong Kong, South China, Singapore, Salalah, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Tangier, Salalah, Singapore, South China, and Qingdao.

   The services calling Japanese ports will begin after completion of consultations with the Japan Harbor Transportation Association and labor unions.
   The Loop 2 moniker is being preserved for the seventh loop to Bohai Bay ports.
   The Asia-Black Sea ABX service to start in April will have a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, South China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Said, Ashdod, Istanbul, Constanza, Odessa, Istanbul, Ashdod, Port Said, Singapore, and Ningbo.
   The Grand Alliance carriers currently take slots on a Zim-operated Asia-Black Sea EMX service. It’s not clear whether the three lines will continue to take slots on that loop.
   The EUM service, already operated by a combination of Grand and New World alliance lines, will maintain its existing rotation of Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, South China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang, Jeddah, Damietta, Genoa, Marseilles-Fos, Barcelona, Valencia, Damietta, Jeddah, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Busan.
   The rotations announced Wednesday provide some details not available when the G6 lines first announced their partnership on the Asia-Europe trade in late December, such as the ports called in Japan and the rotation of the Black Sea service. The lines have yet to announce vessel deployment details on the new loops. — Eric Johnson