APL, Maersk Line and OOCL announced a new cooperation on three existing Far East to Indian Subcontinent services, starting in February 2014.

In a slot sharing agreement that also includes partners CMA CGM, Emirates Shipping Line, Hamburg Süd and Regional Container Lines, 18 vessels with a total capacity of about 17,500 TEU will be deployed on the three Far East-Indian Subcontinent services.

The enhanced network will enable the carriers to offer three weekly sailings " covering China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka " compared to one weekly sailing currently offered independently by each liner.

Our multi-carrier cooperation will provide more frequent sailings between Asia's major trading hubs, and at the same time eliminate unnecessary service duplications, the partner carriers said in a joint statement. With improved operational efficiency and a more comprehensive service structure, the enhanced Far East-Indian Subcontinent services will offer shippers flexible and competitive options best catered to their needs.

The new port rotations for the three services are as follows:

CIX (to be operated by APL, Emirates Shipping Line and OOCL)
Nansha " Chiwan " Kong Kong " Singapore " Colombo " Jawaharlal Nehru " Pipavav " Colombo " Port Klang " Singapore " Nansha

CI2 (to be operated by Hamburg Süd, OOCL and Regional Container Lines)
Shanghai " Ningbo " Xiamen " Hong Kong " Singapore " Colombo " Jawaharlal Nehru " Pipavav " Port Klang " Singapore " Hong Kong " Shanghai

CI3 (to be operated by CMA CGM and Maersk Line)
Xingang " Dalian " Qingdao " Kwangyang " Busan " Ningbo " Hong Kong " Singapore " Tanjung Pelepas " Colombo " Pipavav " Jawaharlal Nehru " Port Qasim " Singapore " Xingang