Grand Alliance and ZIM to cooperate
with Hamburg Süd on ATX service

30 Apr 2009

Issued on behalf of Grand Alliance

Hamburg / Hong Kong / Tokyo / 30th April 2009

Grand Alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), together with ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, will cooperate with Hamburg Süd on the Atlantic Express Service (ATX).

The ATX service is currently operated by the Grand Alliance and ZIM. Port rotation will remain the same – Rotterdam / Hamburg / Le Havre / Southampton / New York / Norfolk / Charleston / Rotterdam. Initially chartering slots, Hamburg Süd may provide a vessel to the service at a later stage.

The agreement is still subject to FMC approval which is expected to be received by mid-June. The cooperation is aimed at addressing the declining volume in the Transatlantic.The cooperation will allow the Grand Alliance to continue offering their customers the competitive and high quality service they are used to.

The Grand Alliance, formed in 1998, is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong). MISC Berhad does not operate on this trade and therefore has not participated in this particular agreement.

Hapag-Lloyd press release