ZIM restructures Asia-Med service

The Israeli ocean carrier will alter its AME service, which operates between China, Malaysia, India and the Mediterranean, starting July 27.    Ocean carrier ZIM will restructure its AME service starting July 27 to offer shorter transit times and improved port coverage, the company said in a statement.
   According to ZIM’s online service schedule, the revised rotation will commence with the ZIM Pacific from Ningbo, however the service will typically originate in Xiamen. The new port rotation of the AME will be Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Cochin, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Mundra, Haifa, Ashdod, Alexandria, Mersin and Xiamen.
   The loop will operate with eight vessels with a total rotation time of 56 days round.
   According to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting, the AME currently has a rotation of Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Cochin, Mundra, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Haifa, Mersin, Ashdod, Alexandria, Piraeus and Xiamen.
   The loop currently operates with nine vessels with an average capacity of 4,093 TEUs. ZIM’s subsidiary, Gold Star Line, purchases slots on the service.
   ZIM also participates on one additional loop between Asia and the Mediterranean, the joint EMX loop with OOCL, which has a rotation of Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Haifa, Istanbul (Ambarli side), Novorossiysk, Odessa, Istanbul (Ambarli side), Haifa, Mumbai (Nhava Sheva), Port Kelang, Da Chan Bay and Busan.
   The EMX operates with 10 vessels with an average capacity of 4,251 TEUs. ZIM provides eight of the vessels and OOCL provides the other two, with Gold Star Line purchasing slots on the service.