News / Alliance reshuffle forces ONE to change course, launching 'substitute services'

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Singapore-based container line ONE is shifting focus to short-haul and regional networks to continue serving trades where it has had to jettison VSA rights in the wake of alliance developments.

The latest “substitute service” announcement is a shuttle loop between Pakistan and the Middle East.

With a port rotation of Karachi-Jebel Ali-Hamad-Dammam, the Pakistan Gulf Express (PGX) is due to begin with the MV Addison arriving at Karachi on 2 December.

“The new PGX service will expand ONE’s service offerings and enhance our overall network in the Arabian Sea,” said the carrier.

Similar moves have included a coastal service, unveiled last month, for Indian customers to tranship cargo over Sri Lanka’s Colombo port.

Branded the India Coastal Express (ICE), the new relay connection has a 28-day round-trip, with a rotation of Mundra-Pipavav-Mangalore-Cochin-Colombo-Kattupalli-Visakhapatnam-Kattupalli-Colombo-Cochin-Mangalore-Mundra. The first sailing departed Visakhapatnam on 28 October.

Last month, the carrier also opened a weekly routing between West India, the Middle East and the Red Sea, covering Mundra-Jebel Ali-Jeddah-Aqaba-Sokhna-Jeddah-Mundra on a 28-day rotation.

ONE’s previous VSA deals with Hapag-Lloyd on India-US-Europe trades have ended, or are set to terminate soon, fallout of Hapag forming the new Gemini partnership with Maersk and realigning its networks for integrated operations.

In a counter move, ONE launched a standalone service on the India-US east coast trade, known as WIN, but its sailings have been wobbly, due to a shortage of capacity necessary for a weekly rotation.

A Mumbai-based freight forwarder told The Loadstar: “WIN has one or two void calls every month, causing cargo rollovers. We are often told about the schedule changes after signing booking contracts.”

Additionally, ONE, in conjunction with HMM and Yang Ming, recently unveiled the new Premier Alliance, which has inked a slot exchange deal with MSC for Asia-Europe trade to continue offering more direct port calls.

However, vessel availability problems plaguing the industry – a consequence of the lengthy diversions around the Cape of Good Hope – could come in the way of the new alliance’s ability to convert many of the collaborative service plans into reality, according to industry observers.