In a bid to take advantage of the larger ships of 14,000 TEU that can now sail through the Panama Canal, the OCEAN Alliance is planning to launch the most expansive all-water trans-Pacific service to the US East and Gulf Coast ports, according to JOC.com.
This follows news that the Panama Canal could now affect the growth of US West Coast ports, as more ships may decide to utilise the canal in order to get to the US East Coast.
French liner CMA CGM recently announced that the Panama Canal will allow it to reconfigure its strategy and thereby create a major transhipment hub near Jamaica.
The Panama Canal is being seen as an extremely efficient trade, in light of the recent inauguration, as it could cut transit times by five days, should vessels choose to go to the USEC.
Lines are currently consolidating resources and opting into alliances in a bid to remain competitive during a time of overcapacity, low freight rates and weak global demand.
