Grand Alliance adding Asia/U.S. East Coast string

Grand Alliance adding Asia/U.S. East Coast string The Grand Alliance carriers Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL will starting mid-June introduce a second Asia/U.S. East Coast via Panama service as well as change the name and port rotation of their existing loop.
   The new service, the weekly South China East Coast Express (SCE), will use eight vessels ranging between 3,500 TEUs and 4,400 TEUs. The vessels will call at Kaohsiung, Shekou, and Hong Kong in the Far East and New York, Norfolk and Savannah in the United States.
   The SCE is considered a reworking of the Grand Alliance’s short-lived joint East Coast South (ECS) service with the New World Alliance — APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and MOL — which was suspended at the turn of the year.
   It was expected that the two carrier groups would resume the service this summer but the New World Alliance has since decided to partner with French line CMA CGM on a new ESX string via the Panama Canal, as well as initiating a SZX service through the Suez Canal. The two New World services will start in June and July respectively.
   Meanwhile, the Grand Alliance will alter its existing East Coast North loop by changing its name to the North and Central China East Coast Express (NCE), which will operate with the same number and similar sized ships as the SCE. This service will call Busan, Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, New York, Norfolk and Savannah.
   'Through this reconfiguration, the Grand Alliance will further enhance their all water service by offering competitive products from major Asian ports. Transit time from Hong Kong to New York and Shanghai to New York will be 23 days and 21 days respectively,' the carriers said in a joint statement.
   MISC Berhad, the other member of the Grand Alliance, does not operate in the transpacific trade.