Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM shake up TP network

Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM shake up TP network

   Maersk Line and CMA CGM said Tuesday they will amend their transpacific service networks to the U.S. West Coast from the end of May.

   Maersk, CMA CGM and Mediterranean Shipping Co. operate a vessel sharing agreement on the trade that covers a host of Asia/U.S. West Coast services. The changes announced this week mostly affect ports in China, Japan, South Korea and California.

   Using information provided by the carriers Tuesday and comparing it to data compiled by American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data, the service updates are as follows (the services are arranged by which of the three carriers participate on the various loops and only apply to services calling U.S. West Coast ports):

   Maersk-MSC-CMA CGM

   ' TP 1 — A new shuttle service, with a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Ningbo. MSC and CMA CGM will take slots. Maersk didn't specify the size, nor number, of vessels it will provide on the service, but said they will be 'larger vessels.' Maersk said the service will be timed to offer midweek delivery to Los Angeles for connections to weekend intermodal rail service.

   CMA CGM will call this service Hangzhou Shuttle. Maersk has used this designation for an Evergreen transpacific service on which it buys slots. Maersk indicated this service will be operated with its own ships, with MSC and CMA CGM sharing space.

   ' TP2/Eagle/Yang Tse — Existing Maersk- and MSC-operated loop. Changes include a new call at Ningbo and dropped calls at Shanghai and Qingdao. Revised rotation will be Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian, Xiamen, Ningbo, Long Beach, Oakland and Kaohsiung. According to ComPair Data, the service operates with six vessels with an average capacity of 7,683 TEUs (three from MSC, one from Maersk, and two sailings unallocated). Maersk indicated that going forward, MSC will operate ships on this service, with Maersk and CMA CGM taking space.

   ' TP 5 — Qingdao has been removed from the rotation, leaving a revised rotation of Gwangyang, Busan, Nagoya, Yokohama, Los Angeles, Oakland, Dutch Harbor, Yokohama and Gwangyang. The service has operated with five U.S.-flagged Maersk ships averaging 4,112 TEUs. CMA CGM will take slots on this service. MSC currently takes slots, but it's unclear if it will continue to do so.

   ' TP8/New Orient/Bohai Rim — Existing loop with each carrier providing two vessels with an average capacity of 8,191 TEUs. Changes include a new call in Qingdao and a dropped call in Ningbo. Revised rotation is Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Long Beach, Oakland and Dalian. Maersk indicated MSC and CMA CGM will operate this service and that Maersk will take space.

   Maersk-CMA CGM

   ' TP3-TP9/Columbus — Maersk- and CMA CGM-operated 15-ship butterfly service, which Maersk brands as two distinct services. The TP3 leg is an Asia/U.S. East Coast service via the Suez Canal with fast transits from Maersk's Southeast Asia hub in Tanjung Pelepas to New York. The service then doubles back to Asia via the Suez, where the TP9 leg takes over as a transpacific service to Pacific Northwest ports. Maersk said the rotation on this service will be unchanged, though it will migrate post-Panamax ships into the service. Maersk has provided vessels with capacities of 6,200 to 6,400 TEUs.

   CMA CGM-MSC

   ' Pearl River — a jointly operated six-ship service with a rotation of Xiamen, Chiwan, Hong Kong, Yantian, Long Beach, Oakland, and Xiamen. The rotation appears unaffected in the network changes.

   Maersk standalone

   ' TP 6/AE 6 — A 14-ship pendulum service spanning the Mediterranean on one side and Los Angeles on the other with Asia as the fulcrum, which Maersk markets as two distinct legs. The only change will be a dropped call at Xiamen on the transpacific leg, meaning direct transit from Hong Kong to Los Angeles.

   ' TP 7 — A nine-ship all-water service to the U.S. East Coast. According to ComPair Data, the service recently dropped calls in New York, Norfolk, Tokyo and Osaka, leaving a current rotation of Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian, Shanghai, Busan, Balboa, Miami, Savannah, Charleston, Miami, Balboa and Kaohsiung. Maersk said it will add a ship to the service and reinstate the Tokyo and Osaka calls, as well as adding export-driven calls at Los Angeles and Oakland after Balboa on the westbound leg.

   'With the addition of larger vessels, we will be able to meet increasing demand in key markets while delivering a more environmentally responsible product,' said Bill Woodhour, senior vice president, Maersk Line North America.

   Maersk said the new rotations integrate double coverage in some key ports such as Ningbo and Shanghai to the Pacific Southwest ports, 'so cargo can be switched to other strings for seamless delivery during peak shipping periods. With the intra-Asia feeder options, Maersk Line can penetrate over 100 local market locations and integrate these areas with our vast service network. The expanded coverage of the Yangtze River region and outlying cities is a direct result of listening to customers who have indicated the need for more reliable coverage to address increased demand from that region.' ' Eric Johnson