Container Management In-depth articles on a wide range of topics in global port and terminal development
Maersk and MSC are revamping the 2M Alliance’s Asia-Europe network with fewer port calls in a bid to improve schedule reliability and enable stable and reliable cargo deliveries to its customers.
The network changes see a reduction of eight port calls in the network while six extra vessels are added across the ten service strings with weekly deployed capacity remaining unchanged due to slower vessel speeds.
A statement from MSC noted: “We can only assume that container terminal congestion at the main ports of the trade will continue to worsen, leading us to anticipate and incorporate longer time buffers in the schedule, in terms of port stays and speed at sea.”
According to Maersk the fewer port calls, as of March 2019, will be achieved with a “minimal impact to product offerings – through combining duplicate calls and competitive transshipment options.”
“This will result in significantly improved schedule reliability, enabled by slightly prolonged, yet competitive transit times,” it added.
Johan Sigsgaard, head of Europe trade at Maersk, said: “To meet our customers’ increasing need for reliable cargo delivery, we have reviewed our service network and identified additional time to recover from the potential delays we continue to face from bad weather and other external factors.”