Nothing unusual about unusual alliances

Nothing unusual about unusual alliances    Earlier this week, American Shipper reported that Evergreen and China Shipping were cooperating on a transpacific loop (the CPS2) to the U.S. West Coast, based on research by American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   It's an extension of the two lines' growing collaboration on the transpacific, and sees them jointly connecting major ports in China (Shanghai, Ningbo, and Qingdao) with Oakland and Los Angeles. Evergreen is to provide three ships on the service with China Shipping the other two.
   The two carriers run another transpacific service jointly, the AAE 1/AUE 2, that connects Asia to Mexico and the U.S. East Coast, but the rest of their agreements on this trade have been confined to slot exchanges. China Shipping buys slots on Evergreen's HTW transpacific loop from south China and Evergreen does likewise on China Shipping's CPS service from north China.
   But the new shuttle run between China and the U.S. West Coast is a new frontier for this burgeoning partnership, a partnership that wouldn't have existed a few years back. In that time, the ice between Beijing and Taipei has largely thawed, allowing Evergreen the chance to partner with China Shipping and China's other state-owned line, COSCO Container Lines.
   But the story doesn't end there.
   A quick glance at ComPair Data finds that Evergreen partners on the transpacific with no less than four other lines — the New World Alliance of APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and MOL, as well as CSAV Norasia. Evergreen buys slots on the MOL-APL-operated 13-ship APX service, while the NWA carriers buy slots on Evergreen's 14-ship UAM pendulum service.
   And Evergreen cooperates with MOL not just as a New World Alliance member, but also separately on the NUE all-water service to the U.S. East Coast, where MOL is a slot buyer.
   China Shipping, meanwhile, partners with Zim as well on the Israeli carrier's giant 16-ship Europe/North America/Asia pendulum ZCS service.
   The six degrees of separation stretch on from there:
   ' The New World and Grand alliances have partnered on transpacific services.
   ' The Grand Alliance partners with Zim from Asia to Europe and on the transpacific.
   ' MOL partners with the CKYH Alliance on a transpacific all-water service.
   ' The NWA partners with slot buyer Hapag-Lloyd from Asia to Los Angeles, Oakland, and Mexico.
   ' NWA members APL and Hyundai jump on a CKYH Asia-U.S. East Coast service.
   The list goes on.
   And this isn't even counting the transpacific vessel sharing agreement between Europe's big guns Maersk Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM.
   In short, the development of jointly operated services by Evergreen and China Shipping is notable mostly because of the political tension that previously existed. But it's not at all unusual in a trade where partnerships get more untraditional by the day. ' Eric Johnson