Yang Ming, Cosco and Evergreen form consortium
IN THE pipeline is a major rationalisation of competitive lines on the Far East-SA-South America trade, according to information received from the Yang Ming Line agents, Diamond Shipping.
This, Diamond's Brian Hawkins told FTW, will be a new service on the route - linking Yang Ming, Cosco and Evergreen in a consortium.
In order to better utilise the vessels, and cope with the changing market in severe competition, he said, it has been decided to restructure our current CSA service, and join Cosco and Evergreen with the new weekly ESA service.
According to Hawkins, the service will initially operate using the 10 Evergreen vessels on the trade, although ships from the other lines might be used to supplement this fleet.
The proposed port
rotation is Hong Kong-Kao-hsiung-Singapore-Port Louis-Durban-Cape Town-Buenos Aires-Montevideo-Paranagua-Santos-Cape Town-Durban-Port Louis-Singapore-Kaohsiung.
This, Hawkins added, will benefit Yang Ming and Cosco, whose current ports of call do not include Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Paranagua (Brazil), and Port Louis (Mauritius).
While Hawkins told FTW that the service is due to start with the MV Ever Govern's voyage 0285-76W from Hong Kong this week, Evergreen head office in Taiwan has not yet officially confirmed its intentions.
This is no denial of the new service. FTW has been told that an Evergreen delegation has been in Beijing this week to finalise the deal and work out the detail of the slot charter arrangements, for example.
Cosco's SA shipping director Ha Jian Qiang was not available for comment before FTW went to print.
By Alan Peat
