Grand Alliance makes deal with Zim on Pacific North West

THE Grand Alliance has announced it will cooperate with Israeli shipping line Zim on two strings of the NWX and PNX services on the transpacific with immediate effect to serve north China. Japan, south China, south east Asia, Canada and the US north west coast.

Two services will operate on a weekly basis with a round voyage of 42 days (PNX) and 35 days (NWX). Zim will provide three 8,000-TEU vessels from July onward and the Grand Alliance will provide eight 8,000-TEU ships.

For the NWX service, the rotation will be: Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Busan, Seattle, Vancouver (Vanterm), Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe and Ningbo. The PNX rotation will be Singapore, Laem Chabang, Shekou, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Vancouver (Delta port), Seattle, Busan, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shenzhen (Shekou) and Singapore.

The object of the arrangement is to improve services by offering enhanced efficiency, increased economy of scale and greater capacity and cost efficiencies, said a Grand Alliance statement.

The agreement is subject to Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) approval.

The Grand Alliance, formed in 1998, is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong).

MISC Berhad, as a member of the Grand Alliance, has not participated on this trade and is not included in this particular agreement.

Source: Transportweekly