New World Alliance, CMA CGM to start Asia/West Med string

New World Alliance, CMA CGM to start Asia/West Med string French ocean carrier CMA CGM and New World Alliance lines APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and MOL will April 26 start a joint weekly Far East/West Mediterranean (MED) service.
   Eight vessels — two from CMA CGM and six from the alliance carriers — of 4,000 to 4,500 TEUs will operate on a port rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Kelang, Damietta, Genoa, Barcelona, Fos, Damietta, Jeddah, Port Kelang, Singapore, Chiwan and Shanghai.
   “The new service offers shippers access and fast transit times to the growing Middle East and Mediterranean regions,” the New World carriers said in a statement.
   The start of the MED service indicates that demand for Asian goods is picking up again following a brief lull over the Chinese New Year period. Members of the Far Eastern Freight Conference in February experienced a 4 percent year on year drop in Asia-to-Med westbound volume to 236,684 TEUs, while the April World Liner Supply reports of ComPair Data (www.compairdata.com), American Shipper’s affiliated database for global liner services, shows the weekly westbound capacity in the trade declined 9 percent from January to about 130,000 TEUs, as carriers slowed ships, skipped voyages and dropped intermediate calls in the Med from services sailing onwards to North Europe.