 MISC quits grand Alliance, which cuts USWC capacity
Malaysia’s MISC Berhad will withdraw from the Grand Alliance consortium form the first of the year; it was announced in the last paragraph of a report on the group’s winter reduction of capacity and loop changes.
Over the last year, the Malaysian flag carrier has been opting out of many Grand Alliance’s arrangements and its re-focuses operations on intra-Asia routes in the downturn.
MISC, rates the 23rd largest container carrier in the world was clearly out of its league as other Grand Alliance members were much larger, with Hapag-Lloyd reckoned to be the world’s fifth largest carrier; NYK in the ninth place and Hong Kong’s OOCL in 11th place.
The Grand Alliance also announced its winter programmed that involves capacity reductions on transpacific services to the US west coast starting in January.
The consortium’s Central China Express (CCX) service will be replaced by a combined service with the Northwest Express (NWX) service. In the new loop, the alliance will provide total six 6,200 – 7,600- TEU ships.
The new NWX rotation will be Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Busan, Seattle (for discharge), Vancouver (for discharge), Los Angeles, Seattle (for loading), Vancouver (for loading), Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe, Busan and back to Ningbo.
The Super Shuttle Express (SSX) will add a new call at Shanghai and continues to be served by five 7,600-EU vessels with the following rotation: Shenzhen (Shekou and Yantian), Hong Kong, Kaohshiung, Shanghai, Long Beach, Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Hong Kong and over to Shenzhen (Shekou).
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