The CKYHE Alliance said it has filed the necessary papers related to the group’s planned expansion of its cooperation to the U.S. trade lanes.
The alliance, consisting of Cosco Container Lines, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Yang Ming, Hanjin Shipping, and Evergreen Line, announced yesterday it has filed an agreement and reports to maritime regulators in the United States, China, and Europe in connection with the group’s plans.
It has submitted a filing agreement with the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to cover Asia-U.S. trades, sent a formal letter to the Ministry of Transport of China, and informed the EU Commission of developments.
On its planned expansion to U.S. trades, CKYHE said it will follow the same pattern of cooperation that the alliance members have used in the Asia-Europe and Mediterranean trades during the past year.
“This expanded cooperation will provide the carriers with greater operational flexibility and will permit each of them to better serve its customers, offering wider port coverage, increased frequency of sailings and stable transit times,” the alliance said in a statement.
If its proposal is approved, the group intends to implement the new cooperation in spring 2015.
PortCalls in June this year reported that CKYHE filed Agreement No.012280 with the FMC in May formally seeking authorization to discuss among its members a possible cooperation on trade lanes to and from the United States.
G6 suspends CC2
Another alliance, meanwhile, announced the suspension of its Asia-U.S. West Coast service “until further notice.”
Members of the G6 Alliance have agreed to suspend temporarily the Central China (CC2) service between Asia and the U.S. West Coast as they adjust to slack market demand during the winter season.
The last sailing for CC2 will be OOCL Italy, which departs from Shanghai on October 31. All ports called by CC2 will be covered by the alliance’s other services.
“The G6 Alliance will continue to offer a variety of services between Asia and the U.S. West Coast covering all major port pairs with weekly sailings. The market environment will be closely monitored for the resumption of the CC2 service accordingly,” it declared in an official release.
The G6 Alliance members are APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, and Orient Overseas Container Line.
Photo: Charles Csavossy
