Grand Alliance adds LA, Shanghai calls to PAX loop

   The liner carrier Hapag-Lloyd said it is adding eastbound calls at Shanghai and Los Angeles to the transpacific leg of the PAX service it operates on behalf of the Grand Alliance, while also deleting calls at Hong Kong and Shekou.
   The Shanghai call is new, while the Los Angeles eastbound call will the second on the loop, as the service already calls Los Angeles westbound, The PAX is a transpacific/transatlantic service, which calls on the west and east coast of North America, then continues to Europe before calling at both North America coast again on the way back to Asia.
   The deleted Hong Kong and Shekou calls are also from the eastbound leg of the service.
   The changes come into effect as of April 9, with a revised rotation of Kaohsiung, Yantian, Shanghai (Yangshan), Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo, Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Manzanillo, Savannah, Norfolk, New York, Halifax, Antwerp, Thamesport, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Halifax, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Manzanillo, Los Angeles, Oakland, Yokohama, Kobe, and Kaohsiung.
   According to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data, the service is operated with 14 vessels (all from Hapag-Lloyd), with an average capacity of 4,627 TEUs. Grand Alliance partners NYK Line and OOCL take space on the service.
   Hapag-Lloyd noted that the calls at Seattle will switch to Tacoma in July.