First full services plan of The Alliance with new member
There is a new core member in the club. The South Korean Hyundai Merchant Marine has entered the Alliance, joining the carriers Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express and Yang Ming. With the FMC acceptance of HMM membership, the Alliance has upgraded its product package. It will be launched around 1 April 2020.
Based on the Alliance’s existing network, the new connections aim to offer increasing frequency particularly from South East Asia, as well as new direct port coverage and improved transit times. Among other aspects, the upgraded service package includes a new pendulum service yet to be named which will replace the existing Asia-Europe FE5 and Transpacific PS7 services.
This new service will be operated by 18 modern 14,000+ teu ships and provide added weekly Transpacific coverage between South East Asia and Southern California, thereby expanding the number of services directly covering this lane to three, in addition to FP1 and PS3.
A modified PS3 will offer new direct coverage of Haiphong (Vietnam). Moreover, a new Transpacific loop, PS8, focusing on Central China and Korea (including new coverage of Incheon) will be inaugurated around 1 April 2020.
For Asia and North Europe, the group will deploy two efficient 20,000+ teu vessel services in a newly revised FE2 and FE4 design. (mw)