Tuesday, 12 November 2013 01:42
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The P3 Network alliance, among the world’s three largest container carriers, will operate a fleet of 255 ships with total capacity of 2.6 million 20-foot-equivalent units on 27 service loops in the Asia-Europe, trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic trades, according to details released by Mediterranean Shipping Co.
This rewwpresents a reduction in the number of service loops from the original target of 29.
The massive vessel-sharing alliance, which also includes Maersk Line and CMA CGM, will launch next spring if approved by regulatory authorities in Europe, the US and China.
MSC released the details in a document posted to its Web site on 19 October. The document reveals that the P3 carriers will jointly operate eight services from Asia to North Europe and five between Asia and the western Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
The P3 will jointly operate five loops on the trans-Pacific to US West Coast ports and four loops from Asia to US East Coast ports.
The five services from Asia to the US West Coast will deploy ships ranging in size from 4,500 TEUs to 11,500 TEUs. The Pearl service will deploy 16 ships of 11,500 TEUs.
Three of the four services from Asia to the US East Coast will travel via the Suez Canal with strings of 8,500-TEU ships, while only one loop, the Everglades, will travel via the Panama Canal.
On the trans-Atlantic, the P3 carriers will operate four loops to the US East and Gulf coasts. One will serve North Atlantic ports, one to South Atlantic ports, one to the South Atlantic and Mexico, and one to US Gulf ports.
The P3 also will operate one service from the western Mediterranean to the US East Coast and another to Gulf Coast ports.
