With the ocean shipping alliances set to undergo major upheaval, the upcoming contract negotiation season will be different, because of “big unknowns”, according to the director of the Global Shipper’s Forum, James Hookham.
In February, ocean carriers Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd will leave their respective groupings, the 2M and THE Alliance, to form the Gemini Cooperation.
The 2M’s MSC will remain alone, THE Alliance will comprise just HMM, ONE and Yang Ming, while the Ocean Alliance of CMA CGM, Cosco, OOCL and Evergreen remains unchanged.
This leaves shippers eyeing long-term contracts questioning where to sign and wondering if further alliance shifts are yet to be announced.
Read more in an article from The Loadstar.