Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM)’s inclusion as the fourth member of THE Alliance threatens to shake up the East-West liner trades.
The deal — to take effect next April — enables THE Alliance to close the capacity gap nearly more than 30 owned or chartered ultra-large containerships in the next two years.
The biggest impact will then be felt in the Asia to Europe trades, where HMM is expected to deploy 10 newbuildings of 23,000 teu each that are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2020.
