Ocean Alliance, a group of offshore carriers, are planning to deploy more ocean carrier services from Asia to the US East and Gulf Coast, starting April 2017, a filing with the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) revealed. The alliance filed the vessel sharing agreement last week.
The alliance consists of French shipping company CMA CGM, China’s COSCO Shipping, Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) and Taiwanese Evergreen.
Federal Maritime Commissioner William P. Doyle said the all water service the alliance expects to provide to the US includes a “significant increase” in new port calls.
Subject to regulatory approval, the carriers will begin full operation by April 2017, following a transition from their former alliances in March the same year.
Doyle added that the proposed service from Asia to US East and Gulf Coast ports is a direct benefit from the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal.
