Will you join THE Alliance? Wan Hai announces joint venture with ONE to open new routes-United Petroleum Equipment Co., Ltd

Will you join THE Alliance? Wan Hai announces joint venture with ONE to open new routes

time 2024-02-22 08:14:50 source：

Recently, Wanhai and ONE jointly announced that they will jointly open a new route from Asia to the West America, which has attracted widespread attention in the industry. Analysts believe that the opening of this route will not only further promote trade between Asia and North America, but may also have an impact on the current shipping alliance .pattern has a profound impact.

Jointly open new routes

On February 15, Wanhai Shipping and Ocean Network Shipping (ONE), a member of THE Alliance, simultaneously announced that they would jointly launch the Asia Pacific 1 (AP1) route from Asia to the West Coast.

This route plans to deploy seven 13,000TEU container ships, of which Wanhai will invest five ships and ONE will invest two ships. The voyage lasts for 56 days in total, and the specific opening time is expected to be at the end of April or early May.

The sequence of ports of call for the AP1 route is: Haiphong-Gaimei-Shekou-Xiamen-Taipei -Ningbo-Shanghai-Los Angeles-Oakland-Shekou-Haifang.

AP1 route port sequence chart

Wan Hai said that the opening of the new route is mainly to meet the needs of the Western American market and provide customers with more stable and high-quality transportation services.

ONE emphasized the importance of the trans-Pacific market to ONE. At the same time, as the cargo volume from Asia to the West American market continues to grow, the new route can supplement its existing route network and consolidate its market position.

Will Wan Hai join THE alliance?

However, what is more concerning about this cooperation is the current situation of THE Alliance. Hapag-Lloyd recently announced its cooperation with Maersk and its withdrawal from THE alliance, making the future of the alliance confusing. Some people believe that if THE alliance wants to introduce new members, Wan Hai is the most likely to join among the current companies outside the alliance.

In terms of route network, Wanhai Shipping has already occupied a place in the global shipping market. The company has been deeply involved in the Asian market for a long time and has gradually expanded to routes in North America, South America and Europe. Although Wanhai once withdrew from the European route market due to market changes and the lack of large ships, its layout of global routes has not stopped. Currently, Wanhai operates a total of 118 ships with a total shipping capacity of 481,000 TEU, and has 16 ordered ships with a total shipping capacity of 111,000 TEU. The delivery of these new ships will further expand Wanhai's fleet size and provide strong support for its competition in the global shipping market.

However, although Wanhai Shipping’s fleet continues to expand, it still faces certain challenges in joining THE Alliance and filling the capacity gap after Hapag-Lloyd’s departure. According to AlphalinerAccording to statistics, the overall shipping capacity of the three members of THE Alliance - ONE, HMM, and Yang Ming Shipping is only more than 3 million TEU, which is relatively weak compared with Mediterranean Shipping, Maersk + Hapag-Lloyd, and Ocean Alliance. Therefore, if THE Alliance wants to occupy a favorable position in the future competition in the shipping market, it is particularly critical to introduce new members with larger shipping capacity.