G6, New World, Grand members to start FE-US east coast loops from May

THE G6 Alliance together the three Grand Alliance partners - Hapag-Lloyd, NYK, OOCL - and the three New World Alliance partners - APL, HMM, MOL - have unveiled plans to offer more Far East-US east coast services from May.

Alphaliner reports that details of the combined G6 FE-USEC services will be announced later, without specifying a date.

The new network is expected to implement service rationalisations, most likely regarding the use of larger vessels on the Suez routes. The move will also demonstrate a second time that the Grand Alliance and New World carriers are cooperating on the Far East-USEC route.

The G6 members operate eight Asia-US East Coast services within their respective alliances, with the Grand Alliance (GA) carriers operating four loops including one loop involving Zim while the New World Alliance (NWA) operates four loops including one loop with Evergreen. Three of the services use the Suez route while the remaining five services use the Panama Canal.

HMM has maintained its ties with the GA carriers on the FE-USEC route through a participation in the SCE service as a vessel provider from March 2011 onwards.

Since its formation in December 2011, the G6 Alliance has been focusing on the Asia-Europe routes. The joint G6 services commenced in March 2012. The group jointly operates five Far East-North Europe loops and two Far East-Mediterranean loops.

A sixth FE-North Europe loop (G6 Loop 3) was shelved in October 2012 while plans for a seventh FE-North Europe service were scrapped last year on the back of weak volumes.