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Container ships equipped with scrubbers will be able to speed up in 2020 due to their ability to tank and burn cheap bunker, thus providing a competitive advantage, writes Alphaliner. Maersk and MSC via their 2M Alliance look set to benefit in particular, the firm reports.
The 2M alliance suspends its so-called AE-2 string, also known as Swan, due to seasonally lower freight volumes out of Asia.
Sea-Intelligence estimates that 2M is set to lose 7 port pairs between Asia and the US West Coast when HMM leaves to join competitor THE Alliance next year.
Maersk and MSC will probably have to return nine sub-chartered vessels to HMM once the container liner joins THE Alliance next year, writes Alphaliner, which also offers a theory on why HMM has chosen to go elsewhere.
Maersk would have liked HMM to remain part of the 2M alliance, the company tells ShippingWatch. HMM also confirms that negotiations took place. Once the South Korean partner withdraws next year, 2M will need to find alternatives in the Pacific.
HMM's decision to not extend its strategic partnership with the 2M alliance leaves Maersk and MSC in a significantly weakened state in the Pacific. "2M will be the absolute baby brother," analyst Lars Jensen tells ShippingWatch.
South Korean container shipping company HMM becomes full member of container alliance THE Alliance. HMM has been in a strategic partnership with Maersk's 2M alliance for several years.
HMM's new chief executive will this week visit Maersk in Copenhagen as well as MSC in Geneva "to consolidate the relationship" with the 2M alliance. HMM's agreement with the container alliance expires in April 2020.
Maersk and MSC, which together form the 2M Alliance, are among the shipping companies opting to extend sailing itineraries on the Asia-Europe string. One alliance makes the opposite choice.
Ocean Alliance could be in the process of surpassing Maersk and MSC's 2M Alliance on the Asia-Europe route, assesses SeaIntelligence.
The 2M alliance with Maersk and MSC now expands its cooperation with Israeli shipping line Zim to also include voyages to the US West Coast as well as the Mediterranean.
Konsolideringen i containerindustrien rummer to modsatrettede historier, mener FN's handels- og udviklingsorganisation. For redere og afskibere er udviklingen positiv, mens den kan have negative konsekvenser for terminaler og havne.
The alliance partners are suspending a route between Asia and Europe. Although the move will have some influence, other shipowners must follow the same example for it to impact rates, says Drewry.
Allianceparterne suspenderer en fast afgang mellem Asien og Europa. Selvom manøvren vil have nogen indflydelse, skal andre redere følge samme eksempel, før det vil påvirke raterne, vurderer analysehuset Drewry.
2M partners Maersk Line and MSC add an extra leg to their route network on the Atlantic.
South Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine, which recently abandoned a partnership on the Atlantic with Maersk and MSC, now joins forces with new partners on China-Australia.
This story could also have been titled: "Geneva calling Copenhagen," as MSC has, in a surprise move, made a public call for its 2M partner to sail slower and adjust its route network. ShippingWatch brings Maersk Line's response here.
MSC is in the midst of a large-scale process aimed at ensuring increased reliability and efficiency. This includes having ships sailing slower, and the company wants 2M partner Maersk Line to join in, President and CEO Diego Aponte tells Lloyd's List.
Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), strategic partner of Maersk Line and MSC in the 2M alliance, will bet on some of its other main routes, writes Alphaliner.
MSC Scandinavia, which covers important areas such as Russia, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, has published a surprisingly good 2017 result. The company is the only one of Maersk Line's alliance partners, MSC, to publish reports.
South Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine is, according to Alphaliner, gambling with its own, new service on Asia-Europe before the delivery of mega-vessels in 2020, when the carrier's arrangement with Maersk and MSC expires.
Hyundai Merchant Marine has reduced its capacity by 28 percent in the period from April to June, according to Alphaliner. HMM has chartered nine vessels to the 2M alliance members Maersk Line and MSC, with whom the South Korean carrier has formed a vessel sharing agreement.
MSC battled fierce competition for its North European business, as evident from the annual report 2016, in which the bottom line suffered a significant setback. The carrier expects to maintain a positive result for 2017.
The launch of new alliances from April 1 has prompted the utilization of container tonnage. Altogether, teu capacity has increased by five percent, writes Alphaliner in a new analysis.
South Korean container carrier HMM ends 2016 with an operating loss of USD 595 million, writes Alphaliner. Besides bankrupt Hanjin, the carrier's operating margin was the worst among listed carriers last year, writes the analyst agency.
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