Two major alliances on the container shipping sector announced a strategic cooperation with combination of operations in Mediterranean-US East Coast service, to deliver a more efficient and comprehensive service quality.
Namely, THE Alliance, comprising the recently formed Japanese venture Ocean Network Express (ONE), German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd, and Chinese Yang Ming, will cooperate with members of The Ocean Alliance, China Cosco Shipping, French giant CMA CGM, and Chinese OOCL, to enhance their Mediterranean-US East Coast service AL6 (Atlantic 6).
The improved service is consolidating the AL6 service (operated by Ocean Network Express, Hapag-Lloyd, and Yang Ming), and the Amerigo service (operated by COSCO, CMA-CGM, OOCL) into one larger loop with a deployment of six 8,000-TEU vessels (three by Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, and Yang Ming and the remaining by CMA-CGM and OOCL).
The newly designed port rotation for the service will be La Spezia – Genoa – Fos – Barcelona – Valencia – New York – Norfolk – Savannah – Miami – Algeciras – La Spezia. Livorno will no longer be covered by the enhanced Mediterranean – U.S. East Coast Service.
But Ocean Network Express, Hapag-Lloyd, and Yang Ming will be able to offer Livorno on a redesigned ZIM-operated AL7 service in due course, which is part of the continuing cooperation between THE Alliance and ZIM.
The partnership with CMA-CGM, COSCO and OOCL is slated to begin in December 2018 and subject to regulatory approval. With this change, the member lines aim to provide customers with an improved and more competitive service.
