The joint operation is expected to take effect in April, subject to filing with the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
New port rotation of the South China East Coast Express (SCE) service is Kaohsiung ' Shekou ' Hong Kong ' Kingston ' New York ' Norfolk ' Savannah ' Kaohsiung on a 56 day round trip. '
The new service will consist of eight vessels of 4,200 TEU. Grand Alliance will provide five vessels and Zim will provide three vessels.
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.
Zim is a prominent player in the All Water East Coast trade since 1973.