zoomImage Courtesy: Hapag-Lloyd

More void sailings have been added to the G6 Alliance’s Asia-Europe service in response to the changes in market demand.

The alliance, consisting of APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Orient Overseas Container Line, said that the changes would be made to Loop 6.

The void sailings, which are scheduled to take effect from week 19, would continue for an additional period of eight weeks.

The alliance said that further service adjustments are possible, but no details were disclosed.

Until Loop 6 service resumes, the G6 Alliance said that it will continue providing rotations in:

- Loop 4 (Ningbo – Shanghai (Yangshan) – Xiamen – Shekou – Hong Kong – Yantian – Singapore – Colombo – Southampton – Antwerp – Hamburg – Rotterdam – Jeddah – Jebel Ali – Singapore – Hong Kong – Ningbo) and

- Loop 5 (Kwangyang – Pusan – Shanghai (Yangshan) – Ningbo – Kaohsiung – Yantian - Singapore – Le Havre – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Singapore – Shekou – Kaohsiung – Kwangyang).

The Loop 6 service is expected to continue operations from week 27, on July 7.

Following the acquisition of Singapore’s Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), the parent company of APL container shipping firm, by the French liner giant CMA CGM, the G6 Alliance said that the purchase would not influence the current alliance structure for the time being.

However, CMA CGM in February revealed its plans to form a new mega alliance with the Chinese shipping company China COSCO, which would lead to APL being pulled out of the G6 Alliance after the approval from antitrust bodies, expected by mid-2016.