THE Alliance: New Shipping Alliance Formed by Six Carriers

Hanjin, Hapag-Lloyd, MOL, NYK, "K" Line, and Yang Ming have announced the formation of a new shipping alliance called THE Alliance, set to begin operations in April 2017. The launch coincides with that of the Ocean Alliance, which includes CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, and OOCL.

Potential Expansion with UASC

Hapag-Lloyd is currently negotiating a merger with UASC, which could further strengthen THE Alliance by adding more vessels and capacity to its network.

East-West Trade Coverage

THE Alliance will cover all major East-West trade lanes, including the critical Asia–Europe route. The cooperation agreement is set to last for at least five years.

Fleet and Capacity

Together, the six partners operate:

• 620 container vessels

• 3.5 million TEU of capacity

• Representing 18% of total global container slot capacity

This positions THE Alliance as one of the most powerful shipping alliances in the world.