Maersk Line has announced that it will adjust its Asia-Europe service capacity in line with changing market demand, by withdrawing its AE9 service in mid-November.
'A few weeks ago, we said that we were ready to adjust our capacity to post-peak demand levels, and that is what we are announcing today,' said Lee Sissons, director of Maersk Line's Asia-North Europe trade. 'We are taking out one service – the AE9 – for a period of time.
'We will make some adjustments to our network to maintain our high schedule reliability and extensive coverage,' Mr Sissons added. 'Therefore we are hopeful our customers will not see a disruption in the services we provide.'
The capacity adjustment is currently limited to the withdrawal of the AE9 service, the group said, and does not entail any vessel lay-ups or similar moves.
'At this point, we do not expect to lay up vessels or further capacity adjustments in the trade,' Mr Sissons continued. 'We plan to reinstate the AE9 service as demand levels dictate, and we will remain flexible to changes in the market.'
The AE9 service accounts for some 10 per cent of Maersk Line's Asia-Europe service network capacity. After Chinese New Year, the group expects to remove capacity once again in line with market demand levels.
