APL, Maersk and OOCL announced a new cooperation on three existing Far East to Indian Subcontinent services, starting in February 2014.

In a Slot Sharing Agreement that also includes partners CMA CGM, Emirates Shipping Line, Hamburg Sud and Regional Container Lines, 18 vessels with a total capacity of about 17,500 TEU will be deployed to the three Far East-Indian Subcontinent services.

The enhanced services will enable the carriers to offer three weekly sailings - covering China, Korea, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and Singapore - compared to one weekly sailing currently offered independently by each liner.

“Our multi-carrier cooperation will provide more frequent sailings between Asia’s major trading hubs, and at the same time eliminate unnecessary service duplications,” the partner carriers said in a joint statement. “With improved operational efficiency and a more comprehensive service structure, the enhanced Far East-India Express services suite will offer shippers flexible and competitive options best catered to their needs.”

The new port rotations for the three services are as follows:

CIX (to be operated by APL, Emirates and OOCL)
Nansha - Chiwan - Hong Kong - Singapore - Colombo - Jawaharlal Nehru - Pipavav - Colombo - Port Klang - Singapore - Nansha

CIX3 (to be operated by Hamburg Sud, OOCL and Regional Container Lines)
Shanghai - Ningbo - Xiamen - Hong Kong - Singapore - Colombo - Jawaharlal Nehru - Pipavav - Port Klang - Singapore - Hong Kong - Shanghai

FI3 (to be operated by CMA CGM and Maersk)
Xingang - Dalian - Qingdao - Kwangyang - Busan - Ningbo - Hong Kong - Singapore - Tanjung Pelepas - Colombo - Pipavav - Jawaharlal Nehru - Port Qasim - Singapore - Xingang

Source: OOCL