Gemini Omits Shanghai Call

The Gemini Cooperation is merging two of its Asia shuttle services into one string, resulting in the omission of a call at the world's largest container port, Shanghai. This change will lead to the end of the intra-Asia A04 shuttle and an expanded A14 service, with Maersk combining the current A04 and A14 services into an enhanced A14 service.

Service Changes

The adjustment is intended to enhance network reliability and service consistency, while maintaining connectivity across North China and South-east Asia through a consolidated service structure. The final sailing of the A04 will be with the departure of the 4,250 teu Seaspan Lingue from Dalian on 23 September.

Current Services

The weekly A04 deploys two vessels with an average capacity of 4,200 teu on a rotation of Dalian-Tianjin-Busan-Shanghai, and thus feeds-in northern Chinese and South Korean shipments to its mainline services at Shanghai. Meanwhile, the existing A14 service deploys four vessels with an average capacity of 4,500 teu on a rotation of Tianjin-Tanjung Pelepas-Singapore-Xiamen-Busan.

Revised Service

The revised A14 service kicks off with the eastbound departure of the 5,000 teu Ute from Tianjin on 26 September, while the redeployed Seaspan Lingue will depart Tianjin on the southbound voyage on 29 September. The revised A14 rotation will be Tianjin-Tanjung Pelepas-Singapore-Xiamen-Tianjin-Dalian-Busan.

Impact on Shippers

The net effect for shippers and forwarders is the omission of Shanghai and a reduction of calls at the South Korean gateway of Busan from two a week to one, which further reinforces the importance of Gemini's transhipment hub at Tanjung Pelepas. According to Linerlytica, terminal operations in Ningbo and Shanghai were severely disrupted by Typhoon Saudel, resulting in extended delays of more than 10 days in the most severe cases.

Congestion Issues

Kuehne + Nagel notes that the container yards at Ningbo are near to 95% occupancy, and the average vessel waiting time is 3.5 days, while at Shanghai, the average vessel waiting time is now just under five days. The Loadstar reports that vessel queues, berth congestion, high yard density, and schedule adjustments are creating cargo backlogs and raise risk of rollovers and transhipment delays, in reference to Shanghai operations. The change is reportedly intended to avoid competing head-to-head on routes, as container shipping alliances are increasingly carving out distinct network niches. The source of this information is The Loadstar.