The Port of Singapore is due to be the biggest winner in the Asia – Europe trade route, amid the container shipping alliance reshuffles, according to Alphaliner. 
With both THE Alliance and the Ocean Alliance kicking off on 1 April, along with Hyundai Merchant Marine and Hamburg Sud cooperating with 2M the Asia – Europe trade is set for a major shake-up. The shake-up will be one of the biggest the industry has seen for decades and will result in turbulent times for many of the world’s shipping ports, whether this is good or bad. 
Alphaliner also identified Rotterdam will remain the biggest and most important port in Europe, whilst Port Klang and Hong Kong are going to be hit the hardest in a negative sense. 
Following the start of the new alliance Singapore is set to attract 34 weekly calls on Asia – Europe compared to 29 previously. This increase goes as the expense of Port Klang. This shift from Port Klang to Singapore is mostly the consequence of the purchase of Singapore-based APL by CMA CGM,” Alphaliner said in its weekly newsletter.
Following its acquisition of APL the French line has invested in a joint venture terminal CMA CGM-PSA Lion Terminal at PSA in Singapore boosting its, and with it the Ocean Alliance, presence in the city state. The big loser in this CMA CGM’s longstanding Southeast Asian hub Port Klang in neighbouring Malaysia with weekly calls on Asia – Europe reduced from 11 to just five.
Meanwhile THE Alliance will only hub in Singapore for Southeast Asia.
The Port of Tanjung Pelepas will remain the key regional hub for 2M with it adding a 12th weekly call, while the Ocean Alliance will also call the Malaysian port four times a week.
On the European side Rotterdam will remain the most important port and while losing two weekly Asia – Europe calls due to the alliance reshuffle; however, it will also gain two calls from 2M.
Source: SeaTradeMaritimeNews, 2017
SeaTradeMaritimeNews, 2017