MAERSK SEALAND AND EVERGREEN ENTER FIRST TRANSPACIFIC COOPERATIVE PACT

MAERSK SEALAND AND EVERGREEN ENTER FIRST TRANSPACIFIC COOPERATIVE PACT    Maersk Sealand and Evergreen Marine Corp. will cooperate in the Asia/North America trade in their first cooperative agreement in any major trade route.
   Under the “Maersk Sealand/Evergreen Slot Exchange Agreement,” filed with the Federal Maritime Commission, Maersk Sealand will charter slots on Evergreen’s WAE service from East Asia to Tacoma and Vancouver. In return, Evergreen will take slots from India and Sri Lanka to the U.S. East Coast on Maersk Sealand’s direct Indian Subcontinent/Middle East/East Coast of North America service via the Suez canal.
   The 12-month agreement is subject to approval by the FMC.
   Evergreen’s WAE service calls at Colombo, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Tacoma and Vancouver. The service is a “pendulum” operation that involves a rotation from the U.S. West Coast to Asia and Europe and back to Asian and the U.S. West Coast.
   Maersk Sealand’s MECL vessels call at Jeddah, Dubai, Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Salalah, Gioia Tauro, Algeciras, Halifax, New York, Norfolk and Charleston.
   Craig Mygatt, director of Maersk Sealand’s Pacific Eastbound service, said that the deal with Evergreen concerns a slot exchange, and that there are no wider plans. “We wanted an entry point into Canada, providing direct service to Vancouver,” Mygatt told American Shipper.
   “The efficient use of oceanborne tonnage and cooperation between carriers will provide built-in economies that will best serve our customers,” said Arnold Wang, executive vice president of the corporate business division at Evergreen.
   Although relatively new to slot-exchange agreements in the major east/west trades, Evergreen has already been taking space from Maersk Sealand and other carriers in the trade between North America and the East Coast of South America.
   Last year, Evergreen started its first transpacific slot exchange agreement with New World Alliance members APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and MOL. APL, Hyundai and MOL take space on the transpacific leg of Evergreen’s WAE service.