HMM to join THE Alliance

The agreement for HMM to join as a full member was inked in Taipei on  19 June between HMM, Ocean Network Express (ONE), Yang Ming Line and Hapag-Lloyd. The new agreement for all members will officially start on 1 April 2020 subject to regulatory approvals.

“We are very happy to see HMM join THE Alliance, as their membership will allow us to offer enhanced services to our customers due to a wider port coverage, expansion of our product offerings, more sailing frequencies and a better balance of our cargo flows,” commented Jeremy Nixon, ceo of ONE.

HMM is seen by THE Alliance as strengthening its position in the transpacific trade. The South Korean line also has twelve 23,000 teu vessels which will be delivered in the second quarter of 2020 for deployment on the Asia – Europe trade, and eight 15,000 teu newbuildings will join HMM´s fleet in the second quarter of 2021.

“HMM is a great fit for THE Alliance as they will provide a number of new and modern vessels, which will help us to deliver better quality and be more efficient – and it will help us also to further reduce our emissions,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, ceo of Hapag-Lloyd.

HMM had been expected to join THE Alliance when it was founded in April 2017, however, instead it attempted to join the 2M alliance with Maersk and MSC, however, failed to become a full member with the South Korean line inking a three-year cooperation agreement.

Read more: Maersk Line, MSC and HMM launch three-year strategic cooperation

Jae-hoon Bae, president and ceo of HMM, said: “We are convinced that we will be successful and generate additional value for our customers, employees and shareholders with combined experience, strategic skills, competitive fleet and strong focus on our clients´s needs.”