United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), a leading container shipping line today announced the implementation of a structural blank sailing program with its Ocean 3 alliance partners China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) and CMA CGM to help enhance customer supply chain integrity in light of recent uncertain times.
The new program, effective from week 27 to week 38 for a total of 12 sailings, is engineered to provide early notice prior to implementation to help customers plan ahead, offers structural change to remove the need for costly ad hoc operational solutions and optimizes UASC’s network with viable alternatives across services to minimize impact on current sailing schedules for main ports. Moreover, better planning and stronger utilization will support UASC’s provision of green shipping solutions by reducing CO2 emissions per TEU.
The new service rotation will operate as follows:
ASIA – EUROPE CONTAINER SERVICE 8 (AEC8)
- New proforma: Ningbo – Shanghai – Xiamen – Yantian – Port Kelang – Le Havre – Rotterdam – Antwerp – Hamburg – Felixstowe – Rotterdam – Jeddah – Port Kelang – Chiwan – Ningbo
- Blank sailing schedule: 29/06 (week 27), 13/07 (week 29), 03/08 (week 32), 24/08 (week 35) and 07/09(week 37)
- Alternative service during blanking weeks: AEC7
ASIA – EUROPE CONTAINER SERVICE 7 (AEC7)
- New proforma: Ningbo – Shanghai – Xiamen – Chiwan – Yantian – Port Kelang – Le Havre – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Antwerp – Le Havre – Jeddah – Port Kelang – Ningbo
- Blank sailing schedule: 06/07 (week 28), 20/07 (week 30), 27/07 (week 31), 10/08 (week 33), 17/08 (week 34), 31/08 (week 36) and 14/09 (week 38)
- Alternative service during blanking weeks: AEC8
While AEC1, AEC4 and AEC9 services in UASC’s Asia-Europe network will remain unchanged, the AEC2 will also be modified to complement the revised AEC7 and AEC8 sailing schedule. Consequently, the changes are not expected to have any major impacts on UASC’s main port calls.
ASIA – EUROPE CONTAINER SERVICE 2 (AEC2)
- New proforma: Tianjin – Dalian – Pusan – Ningbo – Shanghai – Yantian – Port Kelang – Algeciras – Southampton – Dunkirk – Hamburg – Rotterdam – Zeebrugge – Le Havre – Malta – Khor Fakkan – Yantian – Tianjin
- Effective period: From week 26 (24/06) onwards
Speaking on the structural blank sailing program, Jørn Hinge, President and CEO at UASC said, “For our customers, it means that we will be able to support them in better planning their shipments as we are providing transparency to our blanking program, allowing them to avoid working with costly ad hoc solutions. At the same time, the program makes a lot of sense from an environmental point of view, which we are sure will be appreciated by a large number of our customers.”
Source: UASC advisory
Source: UASC advisory