[221210.EN.SEA] Maersk Line Restores Suspended 'AE-9' Asia-Europe Loop

DENMARK's Maersk Line has reintroduced its Asia-Europe AE-9 loop after suspending the service for four weeks from mid-November. The restored service adds nearly 7,000 TEU in weekly capacity to the North Europe trade lane.

The relaunched AE-9 loop has a revised port rotation with calls added at the Chinese ports of Xingang and Qingdao, while the service no longer stops in Singapore and at Thailand's Laem Chabang Port.

A report by Alphaliner said that the former AE-9 loop had been the carrier's only Far East to North Europe service to directly called at Laem Chabang. Now that this port has been removed from the port rotation, Maersk Line will continue to serve the Thai market through feeders.

The port rotation for the relaunched AE-9 loop is: Zeebrugge, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Tangier, Salalah, Colombo, Tanjung Pelepas, Xingang, Qingdao, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Zeebrugge. A 10th week has been added to the rotation to allow for the longer distance.

The first sailing on the revised AE-9 loop was scheduled to depart from Xingang on December 15 with the Maersk Sentosa.

Alphaliner added that Maersk already connects the ports of Xingang and Qingdao with Europe through the AE-2 loop.

Source : HKSG, 20.12.10.