Maersk eyes 'cut and run' moves as port congestion brings delays
Maersk has advised it may have to resort to “cut and run” tactics to make ...
HD: DIY RE-PRICINGZIM: A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATSTSLA: CHINA THREATDAC: KEY REMARKSDAC: SURGING GM: SUPPLY CHAIN WOESMAERSK: ROTTERDAM TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF OPERATIONSATSG: OWNERSHIP UPDATERXO: COYOTE FILLIP GONEGM: SUPPLY CHAIN HITBA: CUT THE FAT ON THE BONER: STEADY YIELDMAERSK: SELL-SIDE UPDATESDAC: TRADING UPDATE OUT SOONTSLA: FEEL THE PAIN IN CHINAWMT: GUESS WHATXPO: SURGINGAMZN: LOOKING FORWARD
HD: DIY RE-PRICINGZIM: A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATSTSLA: CHINA THREATDAC: KEY REMARKSDAC: SURGING GM: SUPPLY CHAIN WOESMAERSK: ROTTERDAM TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF OPERATIONSATSG: OWNERSHIP UPDATERXO: COYOTE FILLIP GONEGM: SUPPLY CHAIN HITBA: CUT THE FAT ON THE BONER: STEADY YIELDMAERSK: SELL-SIDE UPDATESDAC: TRADING UPDATE OUT SOONTSLA: FEEL THE PAIN IN CHINAWMT: GUESS WHATXPO: SURGINGAMZN: LOOKING FORWARD
Maersk is confident that its key South-east Asia hub of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) will handle the pressure of being the most important global hub in the upcoming Gemini Cooperation network.
And as the alliance reshuffle begins in earnest next week, Evergreen’s much-tipped departure from PTP to Singapore appears to be under way.
As revealed in a Loadstar Premium analysis last week, the Malaysian port has the most calls of any port in the Gemini network, 20: 12 as part of the VSA’s mainline Asia-Europe, Asia-Middle East and transpacific deepsea routes; and eight as the end point of its Asia shuttles. And in a network with so much emphasis on transhipment, its performance is likely to be critical to Gemini’s global reliability.
However, according to the eeSea liner database, last year PTP operated at close to 100% utilisation – it has a stated annual capacity of 12.5m teu and saw throughput of 12.12m during 2024.
Asked whether this scarcity of capacity could affect its role in the Gemini network, the head of APM Terminals’ hubs, Lars Michael Jensen, said capacity additions were under way while further space was expected to open up as Evergreen shifted volumes to Singapore. The Taiwanese carrier signed a joint-venture agreement with Singapore operator PSA to establish a new terminal at the port, which was scheduled to begin serving vessels at the end of last year.
“Our partners and ourselves are also undertaking an expansion programme at PTP where we are bringing in more quay cranes and RTGs [rubber-tyred gantries], so that will provide some extra capacity.
“Meanwhile we also have a very significant partner in PTP, but now that it has signed a lease for a terminal in Singapore that will also free-up further capacity.
“Thirdly, in a big facility like PTP, the fact that the schedule reliability of the liners will be more reliable under Gemini means our hub can plan its operations better, and that in itself effectively raises the capacity of the port,” he said.
Last year, PTP placed orders for 48 all-electric RTGs for its yard operations and 11 new quay cranes.
However, Johan Sigsgaard, chief product officer for Maersk’s Ocean business, also noted that the phase-in of the new network would not happen overnight, but was expected to last up to three months.
“The vessels currently assigned to 2M services will finish those rotations – a ship leaving Asia today will still be part of the 2M rotation and it will complete the whole round-voyage.
“So really, we are into May before the last of the 2M vessels move into Gemini services; we will have a full picture of how the network is performing in June,” he said.
According to service schedules published on the eeSea platform, the two Ocean Alliance Asia-North Europe services that currently call at PTP – NEU6 and NEU7 – are set to cease calling from February, their calls transferred to Singapore. According to eeSea, the NEU6 and NEU7 offer 63,000 teu and 46,000 teu capacity at the port respectively each month.
Currently, there are no advertised changes to the five regional intra-Asia and three feeder services that Evergreen operates into PTP.
In addition, MSC’s Asia-Europe Britannia service, which offers 44,000 teu capacity each month, is also set to exit PTP next month, as the Swiss carrier launches its standalone network and features Vung Tao and Colombo as its two non-China Asia calls.
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