Alphaliner Trades

ALPHALINER
Liner Services
Alphaliner
Guide about Liner Services
The Alphaliner website comes within a range of products developed by Alphaliner,

aimed at serving the liner shipping industry.
Alphaliner also publishes daily news, a weekly newsletter, a monthly monitor
(industry statistics) and trade capacity reports.
Alphaliner is an independent publisher of liner shipping information.
It was incorporated in 1998 with roots in the 1970s.
The Alphaliner website includes as far as possible all the international container services, feeder
services and significant domestic (cabotage) services. The major breakbulk and general purpose
roro services are also listed.
For the purpose of this website, the expression "liner trades" covers every liner service in the
common acceptance of the term. Given this common acceptance, are excluded a number of specific,
more or less regular services such as parcel trades (steel and other neo-bulk products), pure forest
product trades, pure vehicle carrying services, ferry services and very small scale coastal services.
This document is for the private use of Alphaliner online subscribers and must not be reproduced in whole
or in part in any form. General Alphaliner user terms and conditions apply to this document.
ALPHALINER
Liner Services Guide
The worldwide reference in liner shipping
The Alphaliner website includes a directory of every liner service of importance worldwide,
including regional and feeder services.
The services are listed in geographical order in the SERVICES section, starting with the eastwest services and then the various north-south and regional services.
These services are systematically repeated under the operators headings in the OPERATORS
Section, thus providing a unique overview of all the services offered by each operator.
The details of the listed services are accessible in clicking on the service name (See the
sample on following page).
Each service is provided with the following information :
-
Service code number (S Code) - cross indexed with the ship register
Name of service / Alliance / Route Alternative names if any
Participants : ship providers and co-loaders or slot takers (if any)
Nature of the service (Full container, breakbulk etc.)
Geographical coverage
Duration of rotation (in days)
Frequency of sailings
Number and size range of ships used
Average weekly / annual capacity if relevant
Rotation and significant transhipment options
Historical data and other comments (with links to longer developments)
List of ships deployed with basic characteristics, with link to the ship data sheet
For sake of unambiguous identification and easy access, each service is attributed a unique
reference number that we call the 'S Code'.
The S Code is a convenient way to refer to well identified services and is indeed used by
subscribers who want to exchange information. It allows avoiding ambiguities and
confusions.
Some ways of how to find and read the information are detailed hereunder.
You can display service details from different places :
from the LIST OF TRADES

from an OPERATOR LIST OF SERVICES
from a SHIP DATASHEET (by clicking on the 'Route' item)
from a SERVICE DATA SHEET (links are provided to connecting services)
from a NEWS ITEM (by clicking on the relevant link)
from a PORT search
from typing the usual name of a service in the search box (Examples : Med Andes, SLCS, AEX, CIX etc.)
from typing the S Code of a service in the search box
from typing either the usual name of a service or its S Code in the General searchbox (top right corner)
It is recalled that the S Code (four or five digit figure) gives you an instant access to a service you want to
consult regularly, without any ambiguity.
New services and major changes are reported in our DAILY NEWS. A search driver is
associated to the DAILY NEWS section in order to browse the ARCHIVES.
IMPORTANT : Empty your Internet browser cache-memory and click on 'Refresh' in order to get the latest data
Alphaliner - Trades & Services -
Alphaliner 1999-2013
ALPHALINER
Example of the printout of a service data sheet, derived from the interactive sheet. The interactive sheet
provides internal links to the other services mentioned in the Port rotation and in the Comments fields, as well
as links to the original news archived in the database. Direct links are also provided to the descriptions of the
ships deployed on the service.
Alphaliner - Service data

6513
New Eurosal / EuroAndes - Loop 1 - Europe-NCSA-WCSA service (ES 1)
Partners
Hapag-Lloyd / Hamburg Sd / slots : CMA CGM
Coverage
N. Eur / NCSA / WCSA
Type
FC
Sailling frequency
Duration of rotation
56
Ships used
8 x 3 400 / 4 100 teu
Weekly capacity (teu) 3789

Port rotation
Rotterdam, Hamburg, Tilbury, Antwerp, Caucedo, Cartagena, Manzanillo (Pan), Callao, Valparaiso, Callao,
Manzanillo (Pan), Cartagena (Col), Caucedo, Rotterdam
=> Service paired with New Eurosal 2
=> Additional Caribbean, Central America and NCSA coverage with CMA CGM relevant loop
=> T/S at Caucedo to/fm various Caribbean destinations
=> T/S for Hamburg Sd at Cartagena to/fm Centram and WCNA (Seattle, Vancouver, Oakland, Long Beach,
Manzanillo (Mex), Lazaro Cardenas, Puerto Quetzal) using the WCNA-Mexico-NCSA service (NACSA - 6931)
=> T/S at Long Beach to/fm Asia
Comments
The original Eurosal service was launched in 1980 => Click here to download its history and development.
> The current Eurosal/EuroAndes service was launched in June 2006 by Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Sd,
succeeding to the existing Eurosal services (6511 / 6512). CMA CGM and CSAV have slot allocations (See news).
Ships used at launch : VALPARAISO EXPRESS, CALLAO EXPRESS, SANTIAGO EXPRESS, HUMBOLDT
EXPRESS, EMS TRADER, CAP TRAFALGAR, CAP NELSON, TEVAL, from July : JUIST TRADER.
> Feb 2008 - Buenaventura skipped due to congestion.
> Jan 2009 - CSAV left (See news).
> Jan 2010 - 4,100 teu ships with high reefer capacity (including 'Albatross' class) started to be introduced (See
news) as well as 3,400-3,600 teu ships. The last 2,500 teu ships were phased out in May 2010.
Alphaliner
Ships deployed
Vessel Name
Operator
Open date
LIVERPOOL EXPRESS
Typ
cc
Flag
DEU
DWT
54,157
TEU
4,121
TEU 14
2,840
Speed
25.0 No
Gear
Hapag-Lloyd
n/a
DUBLIN EXPRESS
cc
DEU
54,157
4,121
2,840
25.0 No
Hapag-Lloyd
n/a
GLASGOW EXPRESS
cc
DEU
54,157
4,121
2,840
25.0 No
Hapag-Lloyd
n/a
BAHIA
cc
DEU
53,125
3,630
2,720
21.5 No
Hamburg Sd
(own)
BAHIA BLANCA
cc
DEU
53,094
3,630
2,720
21.5 No
Hamburg Sd
(own)
BAHIA CASTILLO
cc
DEU
53,100
3,630
2,720
21.5 No
Hamburg Sd
(own)
BAHIA LAURA
cc
DEU
53,100
3,630
2,720
21.5 No
Hamburg Sd
(own)
SANTA CARLOTTA
cc
LBR
40,100
3,430
2,325
23.5 Yes
Hapag-Lloyd
01-28 Feb 11
All information above is given as guidance only and in good faith without guarantee
ALPHALINER
Note on multitrade services

The LIST OF TRADES offers several geographical sub sections (trade lanes). In the case of multitrade
services, such as Pendulum services, the service descriptions are repeated in every relevant Trade section,
with the adequate port string relevant to the geographical coverage and the partners involved on this specific
string. The regions outside this coverage are indicated as such: (Europe)... (East Asia), (ANZ) etc.
The full description (showing the full port coverage) of multitrade services is shown under the Multitrade
Services Overview item, at the bottom of the SERVICES page.
Note on the S Code
When a multitrade service is shown several times under different geographical sections (trade lanes), the S
Code remains naturally the same, even if the description of the rotation and transhipment options vary,
according to the trade lane considered.
Abbreviations used to identify the nature of the service
FC CB CR RR CBR BB CB/P -
full container service

container / breakbulk service
container / roro service
roro service only
container / breakbulk / roro service
breakbulk service only
container / breakbulk + reefer pallets
Other abbreviations and indications

(isi) * (1/2)
the port is served "if sufficient inducement"

the asteriks sends to a particular note in the rotation field
means that the port is served every two rotations
SEARCHING SERVICES BY PORTS OF CALL

A search driver by ports of call is provided. 900 ports are listed, down to ports fitted only with
a single conventional wharf.
Links offered by transhipment are shown when relevant (i.e. when transhipments concern
two separate regions linked together only through relaying). By default, the search is done
on direct calls only. Should you wish to include ports served via transhipment, click in
the relevant box.
Caution When selecting the transhipment options, the search is made only on essential ports served by
transhipment in specific cases where a particular main line connects with a specific feeder service, or a bundle
of feeder services, and vice versa. For arterial east-west services and a number of north-south main services,
transhipment possibilities are so numerous (covering a whole continent at each end) that there is no point to
list them.
There are two ways of using this search driver.

1 Ask for both port of origin and port of destination
A list of services linking the two ports considered will be displayed, including main transhipment
possibilities (if relevant) when this latter option is selected through ticking the with transhipment box.
2 Ask for one port only

A list of services calling at this port will be displayed, including main transhipment possibilities (if
relevant) when this latter option is selected through ticking the with transhipment box.
ALPHALINER
The second option is particularly useful in case you are looking to carry cargoes between
two remote ports. Thus, should you want to carry a cargo between places as exotic as
Funafuti, in the South Pacific, and Qaqortok, in Greenland (everything is possible !), make a
first search on 'Funafuti' and note the result. Once it has been done, do the same with
Qaqortok. Then, you can contact the operators calling at either Funafuti or Qaqortok to
know what can be done. In this example, they are niche operators that can organize the
transport thanks to connecting carrier agreements.
The reason why we do not track directly possible connections between ports such as
Funafuti and Qaqortok is that there are so numerous possibilities of transhipment that it can
be only assessed on a case by case basis (and it is also the way carriers do it if you try to
ask for such connections in their websites). The same applies for example to links such as
Helsinki-Ho Chi Min City or Puerto Cabello-Tunis. See also the Tips below.
DO NOT FORGET TO HIT THE "CLEAR" BUTTON BEFORE STARTING A NEW SEARCH
Associated ports / Twin ports

For an efficient use of this port to port search driver, some ports have been linked to neighbouring main ports
or to twin ports when it is relevant. Thus, if a search on "Los Angeles" is launched, the services calling at both
Los Angeles and Long Beach (twin ports) will be selected.
Should you wish to search on "Los Angeles" only, tick the box "excluding twin ports.
Hereunder is a list of the main associated ports / twin ports
- Los Angeles and Long Beach (look Los Angeles)
- San Francisco and Oakland (look San Francisco)
- Miami and Port Everglades (look Miami)
- Shenzhen area : Chiwan, Shekou, Yantian, Dachan Bay (look Shenzhen)
- Ho Chi Minh City and Cai Mep (look Ho Chi Minh City)
- Bangkok and Laem Chabang (look Bangkok)
- Mumbai-Nhava Sheva and Mumbai (old port) (look Mumbai)
- Marseille and Fos (look Marseille)
- Valparaiso and San Antonio (look Valparaiso)
- Lisbon and Sines (look Lisbon)
Tips to find the Service or Operator answering your needs

Large operators serve hundreds of ports. In this case, it leads to thousands of possible
combinations for a single operator. There are well over a million port-port combinations for
the 20 largest lines together. Offering a detailed overview of the succession of services for
each port-port pair is close to impossible given the multiple possibilities.
The reason is that the majority of ports are not linked by a single service. There is often a
combination of a main service and of several feeder or relay services. To achieve a port-toport efficient search, the system would have to display the succession of services involved.
Although nothing is technically impossible, it is not manageable given the large number of
possible combinations and the options that vary from one carrier to another, even when they
are tied in alliances and service agreements.
The matter is complicated by the fact that the combination of services used by a given
operator can vary with the day of the week. This multiplies the possible combinations for a
port-to-port search. Furthermore, a number of regional carriers offer a vast array of
worldwide destinations from the local ports they serve, acting as NVOCCs on
intercontinental lines. Thus, tiny operators can offer port combinations by the hundreds.
Taking all this into account, an efficient port-to-port search driver working on a worldwide
scale requires the compilation of so many combinations that it is not indeed manageable.
Even single operators offering such drivers on their website for their own lines have to make
compromises, explaining why they display the following message when the IT system is
unable to give an answer : 'Please contact your nearest agent'.
ALPHALINER
If you want to know the possibilities offered between two given ports, you have the choice
between two ways :
1 - The two ports are main ports served by mainhaul services : you can select the name of
both ports. Thus, selecting 'Singapore' and 'Le Havre' will display all the services linking
directly these two ports (or by transhipment in some cases, if you tick this option). This
method can also be effective to know what services link two regional ports, such as
Hamburg and Helsinki for example.
2 - One of the two ports, or both, are not served by mainhaul services. Thus you want to
ship a container of goods from Helsinki to Ho Chi Minh City.
> Step 1 : select 'Helsinki' to know which physical regional services call there, connecting with which hub and
offered by which carrier.
> Step 2 : repeat the same step with 'Ho Chi Minh City'.
> Step 3 : select trunk services offered by the carriers covering Helsinki or Ho Chi Minh City as per above
steps, between hubs, such as Hamburg and Singapore, or Rotterdam and Hong Kong. These carriers offer
a Helsinki-Ho Chi Minh City link using these trunk lines and feeders at each end. Alternatively, you can click
the 'Europe / Far East' item in the LIST OF TRADES (listed in the same page) to display all the Europe-Far
East services offered.
In most cases, the carriers offer the Helsinki-Ho Chi Minh City under one through bill of
lading, arranging the organisation of the whole voyage, including the feedering on one of the
services displayed at steps 1 and 2. You may also ask to the regional carriers to organise
the shipment. Some of them offer global shipments as NVOCCs on main lines, or have
connecting carrier agreements with selected main carriers.
In a number of cases, services by transhipment are displayed, thus speeding up the
selection process. These have been compiled only for particular transhipment liaisons
involving specific cases such as two separate regions linked indirectly through relaying such as Europe-East Africa- or services of niche operators, and when no more than one
transhipment is involved.
PROFILE AND SERVICES OF OPERATORS (CARRIERS)

Alphaliner provides a short background of liner operators (carriers) and sums up their
development. These sections are updated as needed.
Recent news are grouped immediately under these backgrounds and developments or
under the head of a geographical section if relevant. These news are kept as such a few
months before being integrated in the Background / Development items.
Alphaliner displays all the liner services of the selected OPERATOR. These services are
ranked geographically, starting with multitrade services (if any) and east-west lines. For the
sake of exhaustivity, strings of multitrade services are also shown (duplication) under the
relevant geographical sections.
The service descriptions have been compiled and are kept updated with the utmost care.
However, errors or obsolete data are unavoidable. Do not hesitate to contact us in this
respect at editor@alphaliner.com or alternatively, you can send us a Service Data
Amendment in filling the relevant online form, or reach us through the Alphaliner Hotline.
ALPHALINER
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1 - Why is there sometimes one additional ship listed in a service data sheet ?
For some services plied by a well defined number of ships -such as weekly fixed day
services-, it happens that the count of ships attached to the service data sheet shows one
ship more than indicated in the service description. This often happens for operational
reasons, including the following ones :
-
A ship entering General Repairs (dry dock) is temporarily replaced, but continues to
appear in the schedules as the duration of GR is less than the duration of a full rotation
(Ships use to stay three weeks on average in GR).
An additional ship is temporarily inserted to scoop up a surplus of containers.
An additional ship is temporarily inserted to fill a sailing gap caused by delays.
On pendulum services, a ship turns 'en route' for operational reasons and so does not
achieve the full rotation. The complement of rotation is done by another ship, which adds
to the fleet.
Cascade effects create overlappings in schedules (the entering ship follows the
departing ship at one end of the rotation).
Conversely, ships can be missing as a sailing is skipped for planned or unplanned

reasons.
It also happens that a 'TBN' ship (To Be Named) appears to make up the number. Usually,
the name of the ship appears in schedules, but does not correspond to a physical ship. We
add in this case the mention (TBN). This case remains rare. It also happens that some lines
advertise ghost ships with imaginary names to not show gaps in weekly schedules.
In extreme cases, the TBN ship is not chartered in time, or is delayed. This is quite rare but
it happens from time to time, especially when there is a chronic lack of ships available for
charter. In this case, smaller ships can be chartered at the last minute or shipments can be
arranged on other services (including those of competitors).
Sometimes, ships are squarely missing, often because of a ship shortage, of because as a
result of contingency measures resulting in a ship sent at the last minute on another service.
2 - Are the various service names (attributed by the various partners) shown ?
Yes - Names of services as given by each carrier participating to a service are shown in the
service data sheets. These names can also be searched, i.e. if you look for a service called
Bohai, type this name is the relevant searchbox in the SERVICES page or in the general
searchbox. Result : the below service ...
Maersk Line / MSC / CMA CGM - Transpacific VSA - Loop 2 TP-8 / New Orient Express / Bohai (Northern China loop)
... is displayed with the various names used :
Maersk Line : TP-8
MSC : New Orient Express
CMA CGM : Bohai
ALPHALINER
3 - Are the participants of a service all shown ?

Yes - All carriers loading on long haul and regional services are listed : vessel operators,
alliance partners and slot takers.
However, the list of MLOs using local common feeder services is not provided. By definition,
common feeders can accept containers from all MLOs, either on regular basis or on ad hoc
basis. The mention 'common feeder' is thus mentioned in the partners field.
4 - Why are destinations such as Dallas, Toronto, Moscow or Delhi not covered ?
Alphaliner objective is to serve first the liner shipping industry, not the transportation industry
as a whole. In this respect, our search tool covers only sea ports and it excludes inland
destinations, which are outside our scope.
Although Maersk Line, CMA CGM, MSC etc. cover inland destinations and as such are
multimodal transportation companies, not just shipping companies, our coverage is limited
to their shipping arms. Road haulage, stack trains, river barging or air transportation are not
covered by our system.
5 - Why can't I get any service when asking an Haiphong-Helsinki port-port search ?
It is because the possibilities and service combinations between ports that are usually
feederised are so numerous that it is not possible to list them all.
Most major carriers can provide transports between Haiphong and Helsinki through a
combination of main lines and feeders. For Haiphong alone, there are 45 weekly feeder
loops (common feeders or carriers dedicated feeders) that can be used, depending on the
MLO retained, on the trunk line retained by the MLO to provide the Europe-Far East
connection, and on the day of the week.
Even single operators offering on their website port-to-port drivers for their own lines cannot
display all the possibilities and have to make compromises, hence the display of the
following message : 'Please contact your nearest agent'.
To achieve a port-to-port efficient search, the system would have to display the succession
of services involved. Although nothing is technically impossible, it is not manageable given
the large number of possible combinations and the options that vary from one carrier to
another, even when they are tied in alliances and service agreements, and with the day of
the week.
6 - Why do I get services that do not call at Bangkok but call only at Laem Chabang
when I ask a port search including Bangkok ?
It is because the greater Bangkok area includes the deep sea port of Laem Chabang. If you
wish to list only the services calling at the traditional port of Bangkok (river port), then tick
the box "excluding twin ports" in the port-port search window.
Alphaliner is an independent consultancy providing an exhaustive and permanently updated inventory of all
the world containerships and liner services. Detailed descriptions of the containerships are provided, together
with their commercial history and their current status. Liner services data sheets detail the rotation and ships
deployed. A full section is dedicated to the liner operators, with trading profiles, fleets and orderbooks.
Alphaliner also provides fleet statistics, forecast and market analysis, as well as a weekly newsletter.
This data is available by subscription at www.alphaliner.com - Please contact us for a subscription.
ALPHALINER
Geographical abbreviations
EUROPE
N. Eur - Northern Europe (From Cape North to Northern Spain)
Baltic - Baltic Sea (East of Belts)
UK/Cont - United Kingdom/Continent (United Kingdom + range Le Havre-Hamburg)
S. Eur. - Southern Europe (Portugal and Mediterranean Europe)
Med - Mediterranean (All the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea)
W. Med - Western Mediterranean (Western Med Basin, West of Malta)
E. Med - Eastern Mediterranean (Eastern Med Basin, East of Malta)
Bl. S. / Black S. - Black Sea
NE - Near East (Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan)
AFRICA
N. Af - Northern Africa (From Gibraltar Strait to Suez + Morocco)
W. Af - Western Africa (From Dakar to Angola)
S. Af - Southern Africa (South African Republic and Namibia)
E. Af - Eastern Africa (Mozambique to Sudan)
Indian Oc. - Indian Ocean Western basin (East Africa, Madagascar, Mascareignes islands)
ASIA
ME - Middle East (Arabian Peninsula and Middle East Gulf)
Indian sub - Indian Subcontinent (Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar)
FE - Far East (Asia, East of Burma)
SE Asia - South East Asia (From Burma to HK and Taiwan including Indonesia and Philippines)
Sg - Singapore
HK - Hong Kong
Twn - Taiwan
Thail. - Thailand
Phil. - Philippines
Vnm - Vietnam
NE Asia - North East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Eastern Russia)
Kanto - Eastern Japan (Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya)
Kansai - Western Japan (Osaka, Kobe, Moji)
AMERICA
N. Am - Northern America (Canada, USA, Mexico)
WCNA - West Coast North America (Mexico to Alaska)
USWC - U.S. West Coast
PNW - Pacific North West (From Alaska to Seattle)
PSW - Pacific South West (San Francisco/Oakland and Los Angeles/LB)
ECNA - East Coast North America (Florida to Eastern Canada)
USEC - U.S. East Coast (From Canadian boundary to Florida (Key West))
St L. - St Lawrence (St Lawrence Region)
USG - U.S. Gulf (From Florida (Key West) to Yucatan Peninsula)
C. Am - Central America
ECCA - East Coast Central America (From Guatemala to Panama)
WCCA - West Coast Central America (From Mexico to Panama)
Caribb. - Caribbeans (Caribbean Islands from Cuba to West Indies)
S. Am - Southern America (All South American continent)
NCSA - North Coast South America (Venezuela, Colombia)
WCSA - West Coast South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile)
ECSA - East Coast South America (Brasil, Uruguay, Argentina)
OCEANIA
ANZ - Australia-New Zealand (Australia and New Zealand)
S. Pac - South Pacific Ocean (Various Islands in the South Pacific Basin)

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ALPHALINER

Guide about Liner Services

The Alphaliner website comes within a range of products developed by Alphaliner,

Liner Services Guide

The worldwide reference in liner shipping

from the LIST OF TRADES