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Grand Alliance News

03 Apr 2014

FMC Commissioner Approves Amended G6 Alliance Agreement

Commissioner William P. Doyle: Photo credit FMC

Commissioner William P. Doyle of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission has voted in favor of the amended G6 Alliance Agreement. Commissioner Doyle highlighted the U.S.-Flag international trade, U.S. mariner jobs and environmental benefits. He also pointed out concerns on some language in the amendment on how the G6 Parties may handle discussions and agreements with tug operators. "I am in favor of not taking any further action to delay the implementation of the amended G6 Alliance Agreement that was filed with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC or Commission) on December 2, 2013.

03 Dec 2013

G6 Alliance Plans Expansion

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, President: Koichi Muto) , a Member of the G6 Alliance has announced plans to expand their cooperation to the Asia-North America West Coast and Trans-Atlantic trade lanes. The G6 Alliance said the expanded cooperation will provide customers with more service choices and increased sailing frequency. For example, on the Asia-North America West Coast trade, each G6 Alliance member will be able to offer almost twice as many sailings, compared to what is currently offered separately by The New World Alliance and the Grand Alliance. “The proposed expansion will complement our existing services in the Asia-North America East Coast and Asia-Europe trades…

18 Mar 2013

G6 Alliance Announces Port Rotations

After agreeing to expand the successful G6 Alliance to the transpacific trade earlier this year, the six member lines announced the port rotations of their new comprehensive and competitive service portfolio. The new expanded cooperation will start in May with six coordinated services in the Asia-to-North America East Coast trade. It will deploy more than 50 efficient vessels with capacities between 4,500 and 8,000 TEU to connect about 30 ports in Asia, United States and Canada East Coast…

16 Feb 2012

Hapag-Lloyd: Share Purchase Welcomed

“Hapag-Lloyd, the management and all the employees are delighted with the solution and are pleased that this agreement was reached so fast”, Michael Behrendt, Chief Executive Officer of Hapag-Lloyd AG, said following the announcement that an agreement had been reached between TUI AG and the “Albert Ballin” consortium regarding the purchase of Hapag-Lloyd shares. Hapag-Lloyd is the port of Hamburg’s most important customer. Together with its partner shipping companies, who also operate services to Hamburg through Hapag-Lloyd, the Company accounts for approximately half of all container handling there. It has five Asian partners thanks to the Grand Alliance which was initiated back in 1997 and the G6 Alliance which is scheduled to start in March of this year.

08 Feb 2012

Containership Alliance Launches Asia-Europe Service

Members of the G6 Alliance announced today that their groundbreaking cooperation in Asia-Europe container shipping will begin operation in the first week of March – one month ahead of schedule. “We are eager to roll out our competitive products to benefit customers by offering a comprehensive and increased coverage of 40 ports in the Asia-Europe market with more sailing frequency,” the members said in a statement. The G6 Alliance, serving the Asia-to-Europe-and-Mediterranean market was announced last December. The G6 Alliance members are the carriers in the Grand Alliance and New World Alliance: APL, Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Orient Overseas Container Line.

19 Dec 2011

Hamburg Süd, Partners to upgrade Transatlantic Service

In collaboration with Hamburg Süd and ZIM, Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL have decided to upgrade their tonnage deployed in the Transatlantic Service between Europe and North America East Coast. From March 2012 instead  of four 3,700 TEU vessels, four 5,400 TEU ships are then to come into operation. As hitherto, Hamburg Süd and ZIM will each provide one vessel and Grand Alliance two. The weekly fixed-day service continues to have the port rotation: Rotterdam – Hamburg – Le Havre – Southampton – New York – Norfolk – Charleston – Rotterdam

16 May 2011

OOCL, NYK Finalize Charter Agreement

NYK and OOCL are pleased to announce that they have entered into an agreement for the charter of four 13,000 TEU ships.  OOCL has exercised its option to order an additional four 13,000 TEU ships on top of the original order of six.  Out of the ten ships, four will be chartered to NYK for a period of three years.  The first charter ship will be delivered to NYK in 2013. Both parties intend to deploy these ten ships within the Grand Alliance service network to allow for a service upgrade. Source: http://www.oocl.com

01 Apr 2011

Grand Alliance, ZIM & HMM Jointly Announce New SCE2 Service

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), along with Partner ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd (ZIM) are pleased to jointly announce the new co-operation with Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) within the Trans-Pacific All Water sector. The South China East Coast Express 2 (SCE2) will be launched on 12th May 2011, in conjunction with the enhancement of the established South China East Coast Express (SCE), offering a comprehensive service network for Lines’ respective customers’ requirements.

22 Mar 2011

Grand Alliance Announces Direct Vietnam Coverage for Asia-Europe Service

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd (HL), Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), are pleased to announce that there will be a direct Vietnam call at Cai Mep (Vung Tau) deepwater port on Loop D Asia-Europe service from 30 March 2011. The direct Vietnam coverage on LPD will provide a competitive 21 days transit time from Cai Mep (Vung Tau) to Southampton, and will offer an additional link to further improve the Grand Alliance service network. The port…

13 Dec 2010

Hapag-Lloyd Orders Four 13,200-TEU Ships

Following a record result in the first nine months of 2010 and its successful refinancing on the capital market, Hapag-Lloyd is again investing in future growth. Hapag-Lloyd ordered four large vessels with a capacity for 13,200 standard containers (TEU) each from the Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Heavy Industries today. It was also agreed that the six new vessels ordered in the beginning of 2008 should be upgraded to the same capacity. These ten large vessels are scheduled for delivery between mid-2012 and the end of 2013 and comply with all current environmental requirements. The vessels are intended for service on the Far East routes operated jointly with the partners in the Grand Alliance.

26 May 2009

MISC Withdraws from Far East Services

The shipping line MISC Berhad (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) has informed the partners in the Grand Alliance that it will withdraw from services between Europe (incl. Mediterranean) and the Far East with effect from January 1st 2010. MISC does not operate with the Grand Alliance on the Transpacific or Transatlantic trades. The withdrawal of MISC will not affect sailing frequencies, transit times or service structures. The fleet deployed by the Grand Alliance comprises about 140 vessels with capacities of between 2.900 and 9.000 TEU. MISC has so far provided seven units of these. “We will be replacing these ships in the context of our normal cascading,” stated the Grand Alliance. (www.hapag-lloyd.com)

26 Mar 2009

Grand Alliance, Zim Cooperate on Route

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) and Zim Integrated Shipping Services have agreed to cooperate on service from South China to US East Coast via the Panama Canal. The joint operation is expected to take effect in April, subject to filing with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). New port rotation of the South China East Coast Express (SCE) service is Kaohsiung – Shekou – Hong Kong – Kingston – New York – Norfolk – Savannah – Kaohsiung on a 56 day round trip. The new service will consist of eight vessels of 4,200 TEU. Grand Alliance will provide five vessels and Zim will provide three vessels. The Grand Alliance, formed in 1998, is an integrated consortium in global container shipping.

25 Feb 2009

Grand Alliance Re-routes EU3 Service

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) will re-route all eastbound EU3 service vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, instead of transiting the Suez Canal. Presently there are no changes planned for the westbound trade. The decision, which takes place with immediate effect, is in response to high Suez Canal toll fees, which are difficult for carriers to afford in the current economic environment. Port rotation of EU3 remains the same: Southampton / Hamburg / Rotterdam / Port Kelang / Singapore / Shekou / Hong Kong / Ningbo / Shanghai, with an extra seven days added to the schedule due to the diversion. 10 ships of 8,000+ TEUs are operating on the service.

20 Feb 2009

Grand Alliance Pacific North West Trade

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) announced on Feb. 18 that they will cooperate with ZIM in two strings in the trans-Pacific trade, with immediate effect. The scope includes North China and Japan, South China, South East Asia to Canada and US North West Coast (NWX and PNX services). The services will operate on a weekly basis with a round voyage time of 42 days (PNX) and 35 days (NWX) respectively. ZIM will provide 3 x 8,000+ TEU vessels from July onward and the Grand Alliance will provide 8 x 8,000 TEU vessels. With this cooperation, the Grand Alliance and ZIM are committed to improving services for our customers by offering enhanced efficiency…

04 Feb 2009

Joint Black Sea Service Suspend

The New World Alliance (TNWA) –Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), APL, and Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) – and Grand Alliance (GA) – Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK), and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) –announced on Feb. 3 the suspension of their joint Black Sea service, the EBX (East-Mediterranean/Black Sea Express).   The EBX has been operating since mid-June 2008 and deployed eight ships, each with a capacity of 5,000 TEU. The last westbound sailing of the EBX will depart Shanghai on February 12, 2009.   (www.MOLpower.com)

02 Feb 2009

Changes to Grand Alliance Service

The member lines of the Grand Alliance, Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, NYK and OOCL, have decided to suspend their EU5 Service between Europe and Asia with immediate effect. The weekly service has been operated by eight vessels with an average capacity of 3,300 TEU. Ports of call have been Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Singapore, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Singapore and back to Shanghai with a round voyage time of 56 days. The suspension is preliminary fixed until June 2009. This service change is in response to the global economic slowdown that has led to reduced customer demand. However, the Grand Alliance is still offering a variety of services between Europe and the Far East covering all major port pairs with weekly sailings.

26 Nov 2008

Grand Alliance Changes Service

For this purpose the South China Express Service (SCE) of the GA will be temporarily adjusted to cover also the additional ports of the New York Express Service (NYX) of the NWA. The GA and NWA have agreed to jointly operate the loop for a period of 18 weeks as a seasonal arrangement. The SCE will move from an eight to nine ship loop in order to cover the additional ports without increasing the average speed in order to limit the additional bunker consumption for the benefit of the environment. The NWA and GA will provide five and four ships, respectively. The revised SCE service will make additional eastbound calls at Yantian and Manzanillo. Further Miami, Manzanillo, Balboa, San Pedro, Busan and Shanghai have been added.

03 Sep 2008

Grand Alliance Changes Mediterranean Hub

The Grand Alliance's (GA)  transshipment hub will be changed from Gioia Tauro to Cagliari International Container Terminal (CICT), in southern , from mid September 2008. Customers using the EU2 and AEX services will benefit from this change, due to a lack of congestion at . As a result, schedule reliability will be enhanced, helping us to better meet customers’ needs.

22 Jan 2008

Grand Alliance upgrades ATX Service

Trade, in cooperation with ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. The joint service to be upgraded is the "Atlantic Express" or ATX service. which will be provided by ZIM and the other three from the Grand Alliance. York, Norfolk and Charleston. providing upgraded tonnage and replacing the current NEX service of ZIM. route with larger, more efficient tonnage. consumption per slot-mile, offering a more environmentally friendly solution.

21 Jan 2004

Casjens to Leave Hapag-Lloyd Board

Günther Casjens, a member of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd AG, is leaving the company at his own request with effect from March 1, 2004. "I greatly regret the decision, but must accept that Günther Casjens has other plans," stated Michael Behrendt, chairman of the executive board of Hapag-Lloyd AG, adding that he welcomed Mr Casjens' intention to remain linked with the company on an amicable basis. Günther Casjens joined Hapag-Lloyd AG in 1974 and has been a member of the executive board since 1990. He has played a major part in the success of Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, which owes its present positioning to its consistent restructuring strategy aimed at ensuring decentralized decision-making, as well as its modern and homogeneous fleet and comprehensive IT solutions.

10 Apr 2002

CP Ships Reaches Grand Alliance

CP Ships and its partners in the Grand Alliance have reached agreement with Cosco, K Line and Yang Ming to form the Atlantic Space Charter Agreement. As a result of the agreement, which is subject to regulatory review both in the U.S. and EU, one weekly string of five ships with 2,000-teu capacity will be withdrawn by Cosco, K Line and Yang Ming; the agreement is expected to be activated sometime during the second quarter. CP Ships is represented in the agreement by its Lykes Lines and TMM Lines brands. Since October 2000 it has been operating five joint weekly services in the US East Coast/Gulf-North Europe trades with the Grand Alliance.

16 Apr 2002

Transpacific Vessel Capacity Resumes Growth

Total vessel capacity supply by ocean carriers on the transpacific trade has started increasing again, according to a report released this week by ComPair Data Inc. Weekly eastbound transpacific capacity expanded by 2 percent between January and April 2002, to 201,000 TEUs, while the latest capacity count also represents a 4-percent increase when compared to April last year. of 100 in April 2001) Carriers/carrier group April '01 July '01 Oct. '01 Jan. Several ocean carriers on the transpacific route made capacity cut-backs in the last three months of 2001, but this trend has now stopped, the April 2002 World Liner Supply report from ComPair Data shows.

29 Jun 1999

Members Of Grand Alliance To Add U.S.-Asia Service

Container shipping line members of the Grand Alliance reportedly will improve their service between North Asia and the U.S.

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