The newly merged service will operate with the current 7,000 teu vessels deployed on the AE9, and importantly during the Med transit, will include a call at Tangiers, thereby releasing other Maersk Asia/North Europe strings presently covering Tangiers, to focus those services on north Europe.

Effectively, the move takes out on a permanent basis, the AE9 service that has operated periodically since October 2012, in line with seasonal demand fluctuations and holiday periods.

The move will importantly, also adjust Maersk capacity prior to the introduction of the 18,000 teu Triple E vessels later this year.

Maersk has already decided not to operate the AE9 during February and March – the traditional spring slack season period.

As a result of the AE9/TP7 move, the Maersk Line Daily Maersk product remains.

It also eliminates the TP7 Asia/USEC via Panama service that operates with 4,000 teu vessels, but does not change capacity on the Asia/USEC trade as the Tangiers call is part of the service structure.

Maersk Line has therefore undertaken to in future, operate large vessels in the Asia/USEC via Suez rather than smaller vessels via the Panama Canal, and confirms it will no longer be covering the Asia/USEC market using the Panama Canal.

Summary:

All water service via Panama eliminated

Asia/North Europe service eliminated.

All water Asia/USEC service via Suez starts with 7,000 teu vessels.

Combined across trades, the equivalent of a panamax capacity string from Asia is removed.

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