MSC and the Premier Alliance have announced a new partnership covering 9 Asia-Europe services commencing in February 2025 which will set the stage for a fresh alliance competition next year with the newly formed Gemini Cooperation and existing OCEAN Alliance.
These carriers remain locked in their current price war as the SCFI tumbled by a further 8% last week with the Asia-North Europe and Asia-USEC seeing the sharpest drops. Even the imminent strike planned at US East Coast ports starting on 1 October provided little impetus for the market as carrier aborted their plans to hike freight rates in mid-September, with cargo demand insufficient to support any increase ahead of the October holidays in China. Rates to the US East Coast have dropped sharply with demand shifting to the West Coast ahead of the ILA strike.
Linerlytica
MSC and Premier Alliance to cooperate on Far East-Europe trade
MSC and the Premier Alliance (the new name that ONE, HMM and Yang Ming have chosen to replace the current THE Alliance) have announced a new partnership on the Far East-Europe trade that will involve slot swaps covering 5 services to North Europe and 4 services to the Mediterranean commencing from February 2025. In addition to these, MSC will independently operate 2 additional services to North Europe and 2 services to the Med, ensuring that it remains the largest carrier on the Far East-Europe route. The Premier Alliance will operate one smaller North Europe service on its own without MSC that will allow it to match the OCEAN Alliance in terms of weekly sailings, leaving Gemini Cooperation with the smallest number of weekly services on the route.
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