Six ocean carriers from two major vessel-sharing alliances are joining to create a new group carrying containers from the Far East to Europe and the Mediterranean. Members of the New World and Grand alliances have formed the G6 Alliance, offering more than 90 ships in nine services, and calling more than 40 ports. The carriers called the G6 Alliance "a milestone agreement that significantly improves service coverage in the Asia-Europe market." New World Alliance members include APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. Members of the Grand Alliance are Hapag-Lloyd AG, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Orient Overseas Container Line. The new group is scheduled to begin operations by April of 2012, with seven joint services operating between Asia and Europe, and two to the Mediterranean. Included is a direct Far East-Baltic service with calls at Gdansk, Poland and Gothenburg, Sweden, as well as transshipment in Singapore. Vessels operated by alliance members will provide capacities of up to 14,000 twenty-foot equivalent units. The nine joint services will offer more frequent departures, with daily sailings. The schedule will include multiple weekly calls at Singapore, South China, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Southampton. Ports of call will also include Le Havre, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Thamesport, the Bohai Bay ports of Dalian and Xingang, Qingdao, Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Cai Mep, Japanese ports, Colombo, Jeddah and Port Said.

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