NYK joins Asia/West Africa service

NYK joins Asia/West Africa service    NYK Line is joining a three-carrier consortium on a service linking Asia and West Africa, the lines said Thursday.
   In late August, NYK will join the China Shipping, 'K' Line and Hapag-Lloyd WAX service as an operating partner. NYK will drop out of a service on the same route, which it calls SWAX, that it has jointly operated with NileDutch. The existing services have similar rotations, said American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   With NYK joining the WAX service — it will maintain the SWAX name — port coverage from the two loops will be merged. For NYK, the new consortium service will add coverage in Xiamen and Port Kelang. For China Shipping, 'K' Line and Hapag-Lloyd, calls will be added at Singapore (in both directions) and Ningbo.
   The revised rotation of the WAX-SWAX, as of the Aug. 23 sailing, will be Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Shekou, Singapore, Port Kelang, Durban, Tema, Lome, Cotonou, Lagos (Tincan Island), Durban, Port Kelang, Singapore and Shanghai.
   The service will operate with 11 vessels in the 2,500-TEU range, with China Shipping providing four vessels, NYK three, and 'K' Line and Hapag-Lloyd two each.
   The WAX operates with nine vessels with an average capacity 2,525 TEUs, according to ComPair Data, though two of the vessels are unallocated. The NYK-NileDutch SWAX service operates with six vessels (three from each line) averaging 2,602 TEUs.
   'The new service consortium will replace our current joint operation with NileDutch Africa Line and enhance our service to the growing West Africa market with greater frequency and direct coverage,' NYK said in a statement.