Asia – Europe network improvements

23 April 2009

Maersk Line is pleased to announce improvements to our Asia - Europe network for implementation mid-May 2009 and onwards.

Our service developments will offer our customers:

• More direct port coverage
• Unchanged Asia - Europe network capacity
• Enhanced product reliability
• A stronger product from Asia to the Adriatic

On our Asia to Northern Europe strings, we will concentrate our UK services into Felixstowe (AE1 service) and improve the direct coverage between China and Le Havre (AE10 service).

To the Mediterranean, we will run the AE11 (Asia–Jeddah, Egypt, Italy, France) service in a vessel sharing agreement with CMA-CGM. At the same time, we will introduce direct calls from Asia to Trieste and Koper on the AE12 service, also in partnership with CMA-CGM.

“We are very pleased to announce these Asia - Europe service improvements. We believe it displays our commitment to our customers, also in the present volatile trading environment. With these changes we are offering a wider range of port calls than ever before” says Lee Sissons, Director of Asia-Europe services in Maersk Line.

“We do not find it necessary to expand capacity and have therefore entered into a number of vessel sharing arrangements instead of pushing additional tonnage into the market. We believe that our customers will benefit from the service developments in terms of improved transits and wider coverage.”

Overview of service changes
(BE=Belgium, CN=China, DK=Denmark, EG=Egypt, ES=Spain, FR=France, GB=Great Britain, DE=Germany, IT=Italy, LK=Sri Lanka, HK=Hong Kong, JP=Japan, KR=South Korea, MA=Morocco, MY=Malaysia, NL=Netherlands, OM=Oman, RO=Romania, SA=Saudi Arabia, SG=Singapore, SI=Slovenia, SE=Sweden, TH=Thailand, TR=Turkey, TW=Taiwan, UA=Ukraine). More detailed information such as maps and schedules is available on maerskline.com or from your local Maersk Line office.

AE1: Japan, South China and Malaysia to Northern Europe Westbound we will add Felixstowe and remove Le Havre and Southampton. There are no changes eastbound.

We will focus our Asia-UK coverage in Felixstowe to improve efficiencies in our vessel network and our UK inland haulage set up. For this reason, the Southampton call on will cease. The Le Havre call will be moved to the AE10 service.

AE1: Kobe (JP), Nagoya (JP), Shimizu (JP), Yokohama (JP), Nansha (CN), Yantian (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Felixstowe (GB), Rotterdam (NL), Hamburg (DE), Bremerhaven (DE), Salalah (OM), Nansha (CN), Da Chan Bay (CN), Ningbo (CN), Shanghai (CN), Kaohsiung (TW), Yantian (CN), Hong Kong (HK).

First vessel westbound: Sine Maersk, 5 May, Yokohama.
First vessel eastbound: Sine Maersk, 2 June, Rotterdam.

AE6: Japan, East & South China, Malaysia to Middle East, Spain and West Mediterranean
We will add Xiamen and Salalah westbound. Benefits include:

• By adding Xiamen, wider coverage to Tanjung Pelepas, Middle East, the East Mediterranean (via Port Said), Spain and the West Mediterranean (Via Algeciras and Tangier)
• Direct Japan to Salalah coverage for Asia-Middle East & East Africa markets
• Direct Salalah to West Mediterranean coverage

AE6: Yokohama (JP), Nagoya (JP), Shanghai (CN), Ningbo (CN), Xiamen (CN), Hong Kong (HK), Yantian (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Salalah (OM), Port Said (EG), Barcelona (ES), Valencia (ES), Algeciras (ES), Tangier (MA), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Yantian (CN), Hong Kong (HK)

First vessel westbound: Margrethe Maersk, 17 May, Shanghai.

AE9: Thailand, South East Asia and Colombo to Northern Europe
Westbound, we have swapped the order of the port calls to Bremerhaven and Rotterdam. We will remove Port Said eastbound and replace Tangier with Algeciras. We will move the Port Said-Jeddah and Jeddah-Asia coverage to AE12 eastbound.

AE9: Laem Chabang (TH), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Port Kelang (MY), Colombo (LK), Zeebrugge (BE), Felixstowe (GB), Bremerhaven (DE), Rotterdam (NL), Algeciras (ES), Jeddah (SA), Colombo (LK), Port Kelang (MY), Singapore (SG)

AE10: East & South China, South East Asia to North Europe and Scandinavia
We will add Le Havre westbound and Remove Port Said westbound. Benefits include:

• Direct and quick connections to Le Havre from East and South China and South East Asia.
• End week South China cut-off.
• Direct Le Havre to Japan on the eastbound leg

AE10: Ningbo (CN), Shanghai (CN), Kaohsiung (TW), Yantian (CN), Hong Kong (HK), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Le Havre (FR), Felixstowe (GB), Zeebrugge (BE), Dunkerque (FR), Gothenburg (SE), Aarhus (DK), Bremerhaven (DE), Rotterdam (NL), Le Havre (FR), Singapore (SG), Hong Kong (HK), Kobe (JP), Nagoya (JP), Shimizu (JP), Yokohama (JP).

AE11: North, East & South China, South East Asia to Middle East, East Med (via Port Said), Italy and France CMA-CGM will provide one vessel in the new rotation with nine vessels in all. We will add Lian Yun Gang, Chiwan, and Port Kelang eastbound and Port Said eastbound & westbound in the new rotation. We will move Busan to AE12, and Xiamen and Salalah to AE6. Benefits include:

• Expanded connections from Asia to Italian and French markets
• The fast direct connection from Yantian to Genoa (21) days continues
• More direct combinations ex China

AE11: Lian Yun Gang (CN), Qingdao (CN), Shanghai (CN), Fuzhou (CN), Hong Kong (HK), Chiwan (CN), Yantian (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Jeddah (SA), Port Said (EG), Gioia Tauro (IT), Genoa (IT), Fos Sur Mer (FR), Gioia Tauro (IT), Damietta (EG), Port Said (EG), Salalah (OM), Port Kelang (MY), Singapore (SG)

First vessel westbound: CMA CGM Cendrillon, 14 May, Lianyungang.
First vessel eastbound: CMA CGM Cendrillon, 20 June, Fos Sur Mer

AE12: Korea, East & South China, South East Asia to Egypt, Trieste and Koper
This service offers new direct coverage between Asia and Adriatic ports. It is an important development in this market and we are very pleased to offer such an enhancement.

AE12: Shanghai (CN), Busan (KR), Hong Kong (HK), Chiwan (CN), Tanjung Pelepas (MY), Port Kelang (MY), Port Said (EG), Damietta (EG), Trieste (IT), Koper (SI), Damietta (EG), Port Said (EG), Jeddah (SA), Port Kelang (MY), Singapore (SG)

First vessel westbound: CMA CGM Balzac, 17 May, Shanghai.
First vessel eastbound: CMA CGM Balzac, 16 June, Trieste.

Maersk Line, press release