Hapag-Lloyd, through its subsidiary Hapag-Lloyd USA, LLC, has established a space charter agreement with Maersk. This agreement grants the German carrier, starting this month, limited access to the Danish shipping company’s MECL service connecting the Middle East – India – US East Coast.
“The allocation reserved for Hapag-Lloyd is limited to only 60 TEU slots (720 metric tons), including 6 plugs for reefer containers, intended for exports from the United States to the United Arab Emirates and India. The westbound allocation is even smaller: 10 TEU, 120 metric tons and one plug for a reefer container, on a spot use basis,” Alphaliner reported.
The MECL service is completed in fourteen weeks with 14 vessels of between 6,500 and 8,650 TEU, nine of which sail under the US flag.
The units serve the ports of Jebel Ali, Mundra, Pipavav, Nhava Sheva, Salalah, Newark, Charleston, Savannah, Houston, Norfolk, Newark, Tanger Med, Salalah and back to Jebel Ali.
Hapag-Lloyd does not participate in the calls at Houston, Tanger Med and Salalah.
It is worth noting that the Hamburg-based carrier already operates its own independent India – US East Coast service (India America Express or TPI) with eleven vessels of between 4,250 and 9,950 TEU, which call at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Salalah, Newark, Norfolk, Savannah and Charleston, and then Savannah again.
“Its main interest in obtaining some space in the service of its Gemini partner, Maersk, is the transport of cargo that needs to be moved on a vessel under the US flag,” the consultancy noted.
