The New World Alliance, consisting of APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, is the latest carrier group planning to add ships to its Asia-Europe services in an attempt to reduce fuel costs and deal with port congestion.
The lines said they plan to operate nine ships instead of eight in their Asia-Europe loops.
In a press release, the alliance said the plan was "under review for selected services within TNWA's current operations consisting of four services to North Europe. The implementation of this change will occur in the first quarter of 2008, subject to berthing schedules and details being finalized."
The alliance said adding a ship to the loops would "enable TNWA carriers to provide additional buffer time in their schedules which are challenged by various factors in many of the ports. The sharp rise in fuel price requires TNWA to develop effective means to control their network costs and still provide high quality services."
The announcement by the New World Alliance comes on the heels of similar announcements by Maersk and CMA-CGM in the face of soaring prices for bunker fuel, which has been as high as $500 a ton this year in Singapore, up from $266 at the beginning of 2007.
Maersk, for example, said earlier this month that by adding an additional ship to each of four Asia-Europe services, it will be able to reduce fuel consumption by 10 percent.
CMA CGM said it would add a ninth vessel to its FAL3 loop between Asia and Europe. A circuit on that route would now take 63 days rather than 56 days, which the company said would benefit customers by increasing buffer times to absorb delays in congested European ports.
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