APL cuts capacity

Neptune Orient Lines’ (NOL) container shipping arm, APL, has announced a reduction in capacity and significant changes to its global service network in response to increasingly challenging conditions in the major container trades, reported Exim News Service.

On the Intra-Asia sector, the Singapore Subcontinent Express (SSX) service has been suspended. The SSX route will be covered by a combination of China Middle East Express (CMX) and the China Singapore Service (CSS).

The CMX has been upgraded to a five-ship loop with a revised rotation of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Jebel Ali, Sharjah, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Singapore, Shanghai.

The CSS will provide additional coverage of Shanghai and Ningbo.

Asia-Europe

APL will reduce capacity in the Asia-Europe trade by close to 25 per cent.

From November 2, its China Europe Express (CEX) service will be suspended until further notice. The last vessel operating on the CEX will be the APL Austria with ETA of October 26 at Qingdao.

In the light of this change, APL has revised port coverage and voyage length of its South China Express (SCX) service.

The revamped SCX will make new westbound calls at Xiamen, Colombo and Southampton and new eastbound calls at Salalah and Hong Kong. The SCX will cease calling at Thamesport and eastbound at Chiwan. The service will now deploy nine vessels.

The first vessel operating under the revised SCX port coverage will be the APL France with ETA at Ningbo on November 3.

The SCX’s revised port rotation is: Ningbo, Yangshan, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Singapore, Colombo, Southampton, Zeebrugge, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Salalah, Singapore, Hong Kong and Ningbo.

Transpacific

APL will reduce capacity in the Transpacific trade by around 20 per cent.

The Pacific South Express 3 (PS3) service has been suspended. Subsequently, the Pacific China Express (PCX) service has been upsized and has the following revised port rotation: Ningbo, Yangshan, Kwanyang, Pusan, Long Beach, Oakland, Pusan, Kwanyang, Ningbo.

APL has also suspended the Pacific South West (PSW) service. In the light of this change, the South Asia Express (SAX) service now makes additional calls at Yantian and Chiwan. The revised SAX rotation is: Singapore, Yantian, Chiwan, San Pedro, Kaohsiung, Chiwan, Singapore.

The Pacific Coast Express (PCE) service omits calls at Xingang and Nagoya, but includes an additional Pusan call in the eastbound direction. Revised coverage is Qingdao, Pusan, Yokohama, San Pedro, Oakland, Dutch Harbour, Yokohama, Pusan, Qingdao.

Xingang is now covered by direct APL feeder service, which also calls at Dalian and Pusan.