P&O Nedlloyd joins major VSA on Europe/Brazil route

P&O Nedlloyd joins major VSA on Europe/Brazil route    P&O Nedlloyd will stop its independent container service in the north Europe/East Coast South America trade in June to join a large cooperative agreement with Hamburg Sud, its subsidiary Alianca, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and NYK Line.
   The future vessel-sharing and slot-charter grouping will be the largest cooperative group of carriers on this route. It will jointly operate a fleet of 16 vessels of about 2,500-TEU capacity, providing three weekly services between Europe and the East Coast of South America.
   In this trade P&O Nedlloyd currently operates a single weekly service, called “Lambada,” utilizing five ships of about 1,700 TEUs. Hamburg Sud, Alianca, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and NYK Line have run a twice-weekly joint service until now, employing 11 vessels with capacities of 2,000 to 2,600 TEUs.
   The future thrice-weekly operation will combine the carriers’ three loops within one cooperative agreement.
   Of the 16 ships, 10 will be provided by Hamburg Sud, five by P&O Nedlloyd and one by CMA CGM.
   P&O Nedlloyd said the carriers of the cooperative group will announce details of the schedule and its first sailings soon.
   In the north Europe/East Coast South America trade, P&O Nedlloyd, Hamburg Sud, Alianca, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and NYK Line compete mainly against the CSAV/Montemar/Lykes grouping, which operates two weekly services, and against Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Maersk Sealand, which each run one weekly service, according to the global liner shipping database ComPairData.