Grand Alliance Reduces Asia-Europe Loops

Grand Alliance partners Hapag-Lloyd, NYK Line and OOCL said Wednesday they will reduce their Asia-Europe services during the winter from four loops to three starting from Dec. 28.

The alliance partners plan to combine their current Asia-Europe services, EU1, EU2, EU3, and EU4, into three weekly services, renamed Loop A, B and C, to adjust vessel capacity to meet shippers’ reduced seasonal demand.

The Grand Alliance partners, like most other carriers, raised their rates and cut capacity during this year’s peak season, and those increases have mostly been successful. Their announcement of further capacity cuts for the winter is an effort to sustain those rate increases.

Loop A will deploy nine vessels with a capacity of about 8,600 20-foot equivalent units each on the following rotation starting Dec. 28:
Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo, Shimizu, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jeddah, Suez Canal, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Le Havre, Suez Canal, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yantian and back to Kobe.

Loop B will operate with 12 vessels with a capacity of 8,300 TEUs apiece starting on Jan. 2 on the following port rotation:
Dalian, Xingang, Pusan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Suez Canal, Hamburg, Antwerp, Southampton, Cagliari, Suez Canal, Jeddah, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Shekou, Qingdao, Pusan and back to Dalian.

Loop C will consist of 10 vessels of 7,860 TEUs each, starting on Jan.1 on the following port rotation:
Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Kelang, Suez Canal, Southampton, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Suez Canal, Singapore, Shekou, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung and back to Ningbo.

Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com.