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Big Three lines unite on China - US West Coast service

Big Three lines unite on China - US West Coast service

London: Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM, the world's three largest container lines,  are reorganizing their services between China and the US West Coast with the launch of two joint services in April 2008 : the 'Yang Tse' serving Central and South China, and the 'Bohai Rim' serving Central and North China.  

These two new services will deploy 10 8,000teu vessels (five on each loop) creating a weekly direct service between China and the US. Port rotation on
Yang Tse will be : Hong Kong, Yantian, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Qingdao, Los Angeles, Hong  Kong; and on Bohai Rim: Dalian, Tianjin Xingang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Long Beach, Oakland, Dalian.
 
The companies say the initiative will allow them to rationalise existing services into a more powerful customer responsive service offering. These two new services will provide customers with extensive port coverage in China with twice weekly direct calls between China (Hong Kong, Yantian and Shanghai) and California ports, the international gateway to the US. 

'The development of the two new services comes as a replacement of existing capacity in the trade. This rationalisation of our service will strengthen our China coverage and responds nicely to customer needs for increased presence in North China,' explains Jean-Philippe Thenoz, CMA CGM vp - North America Lines.  [29/02/08]