Date:  21 December 2011

Notice to Customers

Grand, New World shipping lines create new Far East-Europe alliance

Six carriers, nine services with fast transit times, improved port coverage;

More than 90 ships, covering more than 40 ports in Asia, Europe and Mediterranean;

Includes Bohai and Baltic loops

OOCL is pleased to announce to our Australian and New Zealand customers that six leading container shipping lines have agreed to create one of the largest vessel networks in the Far East-to-Europe trade lane. 

The comprehensive agreement will bring together members of The New World and Grand alliances to create The G6 Alliance.  New World Alliance members are APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and Mitsui O.S.K Lines.  Grand Alliance members  are Hapag-Lloyd AG, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Orient Overseas Container Line.

The new partnership will create one of the leading networks in the Far East-to-Europe and Far East-to-Mediterranean container shipping markets with more than 90 ships in nine services calling at more than 40 ports in Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean. The integrated cooperation of these six lines will enable product and service features to be easily adjusted to market requirements.

This is a milestone agreement that significantly improves service coverage in the Asia-Europe market and will offer sailing frequencies and direct coverage that compete with anyone in the market..

The new alliance is scheduled to begin operation by April 2012 with seven joint services operating between Asia and Europe and two services to the Mediterranean. It includes a direct Far East-Baltic service with calls at Gdansk, Poland and Gothenburg, Sweden as well as transshipment in Singapore.

The new alliance will be characterized by fast transit times, broad port coverage and the latest vessels, with capacities of up to 14,000 TEU. The new alliance will enable the most efficient integration of the largest ship sizes that will be introduced over the next 30 months.

The nine joint services will offer more frequent departures with daily sailings from the major Asian, European and Mediterranean ports.  The schedule will include multiple weekly calls at Singapore, South China, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Hong Kong Shanghai and Southampton.

The ports of call also include Le Havre, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Thamesport, the Bohai Bay ports of Dalian and Xingang, Ningbo, Qingdao, Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Cai Mep, Japanese ports, Colombo, Jeddah, and Port Said.

The base-plan port rotation of the nine loops is as follows.  Plans are subject to change based on changing market conditions:

Loop 1

Japan – Hong Kong  - Cai Mep – Singapore - Jeddah– Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Le Havre – Singapore – Hong Kong – Japan

Loop 2

Dalian – Xingang – Pusan – Qingdao – Singapore – Hamburg – Antwerp – Southampton – Salalah – Jebel Ali – Singapore – Pusan – Dalian

Loop 3

Shanghai – Ningbo – South China – Singapore – Tangier – Rotterdam – Bremerhaven – Gdansk – Gothenburg – Rotterdam – Jeddah – Singapore – South China – Hong Kong – Shanghai

Loop 4

Shanghai – Ningbo – South China – Singapore – Southampton – Hamburg – Rotterdam – Singapore –South China – Shanghai

Loop 5

Kwangyang – Pusan – Shanghai – South China – Singapore – Le Havre – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Thamesport – Singapore – Kwangyang

Loop 6

Kaohsiung – Xiamen – South China – Hong Kong – Singapore – Colombo – Southampton – Hamburg – Rotterdam – Singapore – South China – Kaohsiung

Loop 7

Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – Hong Kong – South China – Singapore – Salalah – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Tangier – Port Said – Singapore – South China – Qingdao

Loop 8

Pusan – Shanghai – Ningbo – South China – Hong Kong – Singapore – Port Klang – Jeddah – Damietta – Genoa – FOS Sur Mer – Barcelona – Valencia – Damietta – Jeddah – Singapore – Hong Kong

Loop 9

(Asia / Black Sea) To be determined

The OOCL connections from Australia and New Zealand with this impressive new network should contribute positively towards the export and import business of our customers and we are looking forward to your ongoing support.      We will keep you informed on any further developments related to the roll out of the new services and if you need any additional information in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact your local OOCL office or representative.

Yours faithfully

OOCL (New Zealand) Ltd