Ocean Alliance has announced its sailing schedule. This is very beneficial to the Port of Rotterdam. On all six loops between Asia and Northern Europe, the port has a place in the schedule. In addition to Rotterdam, the port of Hamburg also received a prominent place in the schedule.

The port of Rotterdam has, including the Transatlantic routes, a place in the sailing schedules of all 8 loops that sail to Northern Europe. In the NEU6 service, the port is also first and last port of call, taking the number of number of calls at the port to nine. This position as the first and the last port of call is extra advantageous for the port since it increases the number of containers handled in Rotterdam even further. Of all the routes from Asia, Rotterdam is first port of call twice and last port of call once.

The news that the port of Rotterdam is included in all routes, raises the competitiveness of the port in the Hamburg-Le Havre range. Hamburg is included in five of the six services in the new schedule. Compared to Antwerp, Rotterdam has a significantly better position; it is included in three of the six routes between Asia and Northern Europe, as well as in both Transatlantic routes.

Currently, restructuring is taking place worldwide between all shipping companies due to the fierce competition in the container sector. Ocean Alliance is a newly formed global alliance consisting of the shipping companies CMA CGM, China Cosco Shipping, OOCL and Evergreen. With a combined capacity of 3.5 million TEU, the alliance will deploy 323 ships in the newly appointed network ‘Day One’. With 119 ships, CMA CGM provides the largest share.

It has yet to be announced which terminals Ocean Alliance will call at in Rotterdam. The schedules will start in April 2017.
Source: Port of Rotterdam