UNITED Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is cooperating with China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) in three Far East-west coast North America services
UASC collaborates with CSCL to enter Far East-US west coast trades
UNITED Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is cooperating with China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) in three Far East-west coast North America services, which will complement UASC's existing Far East-US east coast coverage.
Starting from May, the collaboration will mark the first time that UASC will connect directly the Far East to the west coast of North America, reports Alphaliner.
Two of the three Far East-west coast North America services will use both UASC and CSCL tonnage. The third service is an existing CSCL loop on which UASC will take slots.
The three services are the ANW1/AWN1 that rotates through Guangzhou-Nansha, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Seattle, Vancouver, Guangzhou-Nansha. The service will deploy six ships ranging in size from 3,800-4,250 TEU on a six-week rotation. Four of the vessels will be provided by CSCL and two by UASC. At present, CSCL operates six ships on the service, five 2,500-TEU vessels and one 4,250-TEUer.
The AAS2/AWS1, which calls at Guangzhou-Nansha, Shenzhen-Yantian, Xiamen, Los Angeles, Guangzhou-Nansha on a six-week rotation. The new service will deploy six ships between 3,800 and 4,250 TEU, with each partner contributing three vessels. The report said the capacity of the ships operating the service will be increased to 8,500 TEU by May 2014.
The AAC service rotates through Qingdao, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Busan, Los Angeles, Oakland, Qingdao. This is an existing CSCL service on which UASC will take 400 TEU slots per week within the frame of a slot exchange arrangement involving also the ANW1/AWN1. CSCL will take 400 TEU per week from UASC's 33 per cent allocation on the latter service.
UASC's three new Far East-west coast North America services will add to the two Far East-US east coast services that UASC offers in cooperation with CSCL through a joint CSCL-UASC loop (AAE1/AUC1) and through slots on CMA CGM's PEX 3 loop (branded AUC 2 by UASC). The new UASC-CSCL arrangement closely follows slot exchange agreements on the Mediterranean-US East Coast route and on the Far East-North Europe route.
The report also highlighted that UASC offers a Middle East-Guangzhou-Nansha connection through its AGX1 service, which is operated jointly with CSCL and CMA CGM. This service will offer Middle East-west coast North America connections by transshipment at Guangzhou-Nansha on the ANW1/AWN1 and AAS2/AWS1 services.
