GRAND ALLIANCE, AMERICANA SHIPS TO ANNOUNCE FINAL SCHEDULES

GRAND ALLIANCE, AMERICANA SHIPS TO ANNOUNCE FINAL SCHEDULES    Grand Alliance carriers P&O Nedlloyd, Hapag-Lloyd, OOCL and NYK and Americana Ships operators Lykes Lines and TMM Lines are finalizing the schedules for their five weekly transatlantic services.
   The shipping lines have been negotiating berth use agreements with terminal operators in northern Europe and the U.S. and are expected to announce the final schedules and ports of call in the next few days. Their five joint weekly service will start between early July and October.
   In Europe, the carriers have already selected the U.K. and German ports for the services. The North Atlantic Express and South Atlantic Express services will call at Southampton and Hamburg, while the Pacific Atlantic Express service, the Gumex service and the Gulf Atlantic Sprint service will call at Thamesport and at Bremerhaven.
   The selections of Charleston or Savannah as a U.S. South Atlantic port and Norfolk or Baltimore as the second North Atlantic port besides New York/New Jersey for the carriers’ services have not been announced.
   P&O Nedlloyd said last month that the Grand Alliance and Americana Ships will provide a combined capacity of 12,100 TEUs a week each way and will have a market share of 30 percent of the transatlantic trade.
   The five weekly services will use 31 containerships.