Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) announced today (February 23, 2009) they will re-route all eastbound EU3 service vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, instead of transiting the Suez Canal. Presently there are no changes planned for the westbound trade.

The decision, which takes place with immediate effect, is in response to high Suez Canal toll fees, which are difficult for carriers to afford in the current economic environment.

Port rotation of EU3 remains the same: Southampton/ Hamburg/ Rotterdam/Port Kelang/ Singapore/Shekou/ Hong Kong/ Ningbo/ Shanghai, with an extra seven days added to the schedule due to the diversion. 10 ships of 8,000+ TEUs are operating on the service.

The Grand Alliance will consider re-routing more services if the overall economic situation does not improve.

The Grand Alliance, formed in 1998, is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong).