THE Alliance is getting bigger: HMM to bring along modern ships

The shipping alliance THE Alliance, of which Hapag-Lloyd is a member, will be adding a new member on 1 April 2020. On this date, the South Korean container shipping company Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) will be officially admitted as a new full member to the circle of existing partners. In addition to Hapag-Lloyd, there are the Japanese liner shipping company Ocean Network Express (ONE) and the Taiwan-based carrier Yang Ming. The documents related to this collaboration were signed in Taipei on 19 June. There, the four future members of THE Alliance also agreed to extend the duration of their collaboration, which began in 2017, by ten years – that is, until 2030.

Hapag-Lloyd’s customers will primarily benefit from the expansion of THE Alliance on the important Far East-to-North Europe trade route. HMM will be bringing new and ultra-modern large ships into the partnership. Twelve ships with a capacity of 23,000 TEU have been ordered and will be delivered in the second quarter of 2020. Plans call for these vessels to be deployed between Asia and North Europe. HMM will also be receiving eight more newbuildings, each with a capacity of 15,000 TEU, in the second quarter of 2021.

“HMM will be bringing in a number of new ships, which will make it a great addition to THE Alliance,” says Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen. “This will help us to deliver better quality and to become more efficient. What’s more, these ships will help us further reduce our emissions.” Hapag-Lloyd also expects that this step will boost THE Alliance’s competitiveness vis-à-vis the other two major alliances, 2M and Ocean Alliance.