Global shipping lines Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) are expected to launch their vessel sharing agreement from as early as January 2015, according to Reuters.
Mearsk Line told the newsagency on Wednesday that it would notify its customers of new transit times before September this year.
Referred to as 2M, the alliance was announced by Maersk and MSC in July, just a month after China’s rejection of the P3 shipping alliance between Maersk, MSC and CMA CGM.
Maersk China’s managing director Jens Eskelund told Reuters the 2M alliance gave China's Ministry of Transport notice of the agreement in July, but that it didn’t need China’s approval to go ahead with the vessel sharing deal.
“Other alliances have been able to operate similar market shares to the ones that we will have on Asia-Europe,” said Eskelund.
The ten-year agreement will cover Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific lines, providing more frequent services and more direct lines.
