MAERSK SEALAND CUTS BACK ATLANTIC SERVICES

MAERSK SEALAND ALTERS ATLANTIC SERVICES    Maersk Sealand is merging two of its three U.S./northern Europe weekly services and reducing its direct coverage of U.S. ports following the end of its vessel-sharing agreement with P&O Nedlloyd and OOCL.
   The agreement, officially terminated earlier this month, operated two weekly services, one covering U.S. North Atlantic ports and the other the South Atlantic/Gulf port range.
   Maersk Sealand said that the sailings of the former VSA North Atlantic loop, which called at Boston, New York, Nolfolk, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Felixstowe and Le Havre, are ending this month.
   The Danish carrier is now merging the former four-ship VSA North Atlantic service and five-vessel VSA South Atlantic loop into a combined U.S. North Atlantic/South Atlantic/Gulf service employing six vessels.
   The move will reduce by about 4,600 TEUs a week the capacity deployed by Maersk Sealand in the Atlantic trade but a carrier spokesman said that the line will realize a net improvement in capacity because the carrier will regain slots on its vessels previously allotted to P&O Nedlloyd and OOCL.
   The rotation of the merged service has not been finalized, but Maersk Sealand said that it is expected to call at Port Everglades, Houston, Freeport (Bahamas), Charleston, Norfolk, New York, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Felixstowe, Le Havre, New York, Charleston, Freeport, Port Everglades and Houston.
   Maersk Sealand said that it will continue, unchanged, its TA3 “pendulum” service, which calls at Oakland, Long Beach, Manzanillo (Panama), Miami, Charleston, Norfolk, New York, Le Havre, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Halifax, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Miami, Long Beach and Oakland.
   Maersk Sealand plans to reinstate a third weekly U.S./northern Europe service this Fall. At that time, New World Alliance carriers APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, with whom Maersk Sealand made a transatlantic cooperation agreement, will commence a weekly U.S. North Atlantic/northern Europe service as an extension of their Asia/U.S. East Coast loop.