Cut capacity again! Shipping companies suspended many trans-Pacific services and canceled some Asia-Europe sailings
Recently, Maersk and MSC announced the cancellation of trans-Pacific service. Analysts said the change in service came as spot rates plummeted, with capacity on trans-Pacific routes set to fall further in the fourth quarter.
In addition, shipping companies are adjusting their capacity and cancelling some trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe voyages in anticipation of lower global demand.
Maersk, MSC, and Wanhai cancel their Trans-Pacific service
On October 17, Maersk and MSC separately issued notices saying that at the end of October, the 2M Alliance Trans-Pacific TP9/Eagle and TP1/Maple services would be temporarily cancelled and merged into the new TP1/Maple service.
The first voyage of the new TP1/Maple service will be performed by the container ship "Maersk Seville" and will set sail from Xiamen on October 28 with the following port rotation:
Xiamen -- Yantian -- Ningbo -- Shanghai -- Busan -- Yokohama -- Vancouver -- Prince Rupert -- Yokohama -- Busan
MSC said Eagle service will no longer be available from Voyage 242N departing Xiamen port on October 22 until further notice.
In response to the service changes, Maersk said its TP9 and TP1 services were experiencing instability in terms of departure frequencies and transit times during 2022 due to rail congestion and ship berthing delays at the Port of Vancouver. The change will eliminate the current wait times at the Port of Vancouver, allowing it to offer steady weekly schedules out of Asia.
In addition, Maersk said its TP7 service would be suspended and its TPX service would be added to the Port of Seattle.
The first voyage of the new TPX service will be carried out by the container ship "Maersk Baltimore", departing from Haiphong on October 23, with port rotation as follows:
Haiphong - Yantian - Ningbo - Shanghai - Seattle - Los Angeles - Yokohama - Xiamen
On Monday, Sea-Intelligence said Wanhai Shipping plans this month to terminate two of its trans-Pacific services, AA1 and AA2, that began in 2021, both of which call at Seattle and Oakland.
In lieu of these services, Wanhai revised its port rotation for two other trans-Pacific services. The company's AA3 service will add a call to the Port of Oakland to its existing call to the Port of Long Beach; The AA5 service will add a call to the Port of Seattle after docking at Oakland.
At the end of last month, Maersk notified that its TP3/Sequoia service at the Port of Los Angeles would be temporarily canceled, and that cargo could be transported on the TP2/Jaguar service, and that its TP28 service on the U.S. East route was being merged into another service.
Alphaliner said changes in various services meant further reductions in capacity on routes. Shipping companies now face spot trans-Pacific freight rates hovering around $2,100 per FEU, down 85% from the start of the year. The rapid decline suggests that more capacity will have to be cut in the fourth quarter.
Maersk ▎ Asia - North America Line and Asia-Europe Line
Asia to North America
Maersk notified that the following voyages will be cancelled in order to better align its service schedule and respond to fluctuating demand:
Asia to Europe
Maersk is making capacity adjustments to balance its network in anticipation of lower global demand. The following voyages have been cancelled:
