MSC to fill in the gaps for Premier Alliance
From February 2024, THE Alliance, which includes Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen (NYK), Yang Ming, MOL, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line) and Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), will become the new organization called Premier Alliance, which consists of ONE, Yang Ming Marine and Hyundai Merchant Marine. comprising ONE, Yang Ming Marine and Hyundai Merchant Marine. Hapag-Lloyd will leave the alliance and join the Gemini Corporation, a partnership with Maersk, which was formed after the dissolution of the 2M alliance between MSC and Maersk.
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the operator with the world's largest fleet, signed an agreement to assist the Premier Alliance in filling the void on Asia-Europe routes following the withdrawal of Hapag-Lloyd. As a result of MSC's involvement, the Premier Alliance will become a significant, albeit initially smaller, player.
Panama Canal introduces new long-term slot allocation method
The Panama Canal announced that the new Long Term Slot Allocation (LoTSA) methodology will be implemented starting 1 October 2024, for all market segments except LNG and LPG.
The LNG and LPG segments will adhere to the previously announced date in Advisory to Shipping No. A-25-2024.
After the LoTSA methodology was announced, several customers in the full container market segment requested additional time to thoroughly assess the new initiative.
In response, the implementation date for these segments has been postponed to allow for greater participation and to ensure the success of the LoTSA methodology.
The Long-Term Slot Allocation Method for Neopanamax vessels, part of the Transit Booking System, was developed to enhance transit certainty and flexibility for clients.
This method will offer various transit booking slot packages to different market segments, allowing a single client to secure multiple bookings in one transaction.
Bunkering operation on TS Lines ship causes Hong Kong oil spill
Parts of Hong Kong’s Kwai Tsing Container Terminals remain closed for clean-up operations after an oil spillage occurred on the night of 20 August.
The spillage of bunkers happened while Taiwanese liner operator TS Lines’ 1,100 TEU container ship, TS Kobe, was fuelled at terminals 6 and 7, which are operated by Hongkong International Terminals.
The marine fuel was supplied by Yee Lee 2, a barge operated by local bunker supplier Yee Lee.
Hong Kong’s Marine Department said that it was alerted to the oil spillage around 2200hrs local time on 20 August, and immediately executed spillage response measures.
The oil slick is understood to have spread to waters around Kwai Tsing’s terminal 4 and the Tsing Yi and Stonecutters districts in Hong Kong.
VesselsValue’s ship-tracking data indicates that TS Kobe, which serves TS Lines’ North Vietnam 2 service, remains anchored at the incident spot.
Representatives at TS Lines and Yee Lee declined to comment when contacted by Container News, citing ongoing investigations into the spillage Hong Kong bunker barge operators told Container News that the cleanup could take at least a month.
In June, a severe bunker leakage in Singapore took two months to be fully cleared up, with beaches reopened this month.
A new air route will link the Chinese city of Haikou with the U.S. city of Seattle
China's Hainan Airlines announced the launch of a new air route connecting Haikou City /adm. center of Hainan Province, South China/ and Seattle in the U.S. via Chongqing, the central city of Chongqing, starting September 26. Hainan Airlines announced the launch of a new air route connecting Haikou City /adm. center of Hainan Province, South China/ and Seattle in the United States via Chongqing.
The route will operate one round-trip flight per week, with flight number HU445 departing from Haikou every Thursday. Both departing and arriving flights will include a stopover in the central government city of Chongqing in southwest China.
This will be the first air route from Haikou to the United States operated by Hainan Airlines. It is expected to not only increase air traffic, but also promote the development of Hainan Free Trade Port.
In recent years, Hainan Province has stepped up efforts to revitalize and launch international air services. As of May this year, 46 international passenger air routes were operating in the province, and the number is expected to reach 62 by the end of this year.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
YM vessel explosion at Ningbo-Zhoushan port raises serious safety concerns
A major explosion has occurred on a Yang Ming boxship while berthed at the port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in China in another incident that raises serious safety concerns.
"This type of incident should never happen and is another example of how one failure in ocean container shipping can have catastrophic consequences," says Peter Sand, Xenetal chief analyst.
Sand pointed out that if this explosion had happened at sea rather than at a berth in a port, the crew and ship would have been in even more perilous danger.
"An investigation will take place and the industry must learn from it. Container ships are used to transport hazardous and potentially explosive cargo, so it is of paramount importance that robust safety measures are in place," he noted.
The explosion in Ningbo follows other major incidents in 2024, including the collapse of Baltimore Bridge in March and an electrical fire onboard Maersk Frankfurt during its maiden voyage through the Arabian Sea last month.
Ningbo-Zhoushan is the second most important container shipping port in China behind Shanghai, handling more than 100,000 TEUs each day.
Xeneta data shows average spot rates on the major fronthaul trade from Ningbo to the United States West Coast increased by 146% between 30 April and 1 July amid the impact of the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea region on container shipping.