World News
New Major Container Alliance to be Announced by Friday: Sources
Two sources say a new container carrier alliance is set to be announced by Friday, which is expected to include Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K Line), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL), Hapag-Lloyd AG (Hapag-Lloyd), Hanjin Shipping Co. (Hanjin), Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. (HMM), and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming), the Wall Street Journal reports.
The comments follow those of William Doyle, a commissioner with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), who said recently that "there is a likelihood that another new alliance will be announced" by the end of this week.
As Ship & Bunker reported last week, Alphaliner had suggested that box carriers orphaned following a shake up of existing alliances could combine to form a new "third force" alliance to rival both the newly formed Ocean Alliance, and the 2M alliance of the world's two biggest carriers, Maersk Line and MSC.
"The new alliance will include most or all of the global carriers left out of the two other groupings already announced," said one source involved, adding that "anyone left out in the cold will have to concentrate on smaller, regional trades."
The second source is reported to have said that the carriers involved have been in discussions with U.S., Chinese, and European regulators over alliance plans, and that an announcement can be anticipated by Friday.
"This would bring clarity to the competitor landscape of the major east-west trades from next year. However, an alliance of seven members will be a challenge in terms of agreeing on a network," Lars Jensen of SeaIntelligence Consulting told Splash 24/7, adding that a "strong hand" would be required from Hapag-Lloyd, the largest member, in order to ensure network design runs smoothly.
As Ship & Bunker reported last month, the current shake up of carrier alliances follows on from the announcement over the formation of the new Ocean Alliance.
Key Bunker Prices More
| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
| Singapore | 510.00 | 1.00 | 600.50 | 1.50 |
| Rotterdam | 472.50 | 3.00 | 612.50 | 3.00 |
| Houston | 472.00 | 0.00 | 619.00 | 0.50 |
| Fujairah | 502.00 | 2.00 | 709.00 | 4.50 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 532.00 | 1.00 | 706.00 | 0.50 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 489.50 | 1.50 | 635.50 | 2.00 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 568.50 | 1.00 | 753.50 | 1.00 |
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