Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Co and CMA CGM have released service details covering the Asia-Europe, transpacific and transatlantic trades and say they are on schedule to launch operations for the P3 network in the second quarter of next year, assuming there are no regulatory obstacle

Maersk’s 18,270 teu Triple-E ships will be deployed in a revised AE1 loop that will call at Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Rotterdam in northern Europe.

The broad outline of the operational alliance remains the same as in June, when the new partnership was unveiled, with 252 ships with total capacity of 2.6 million teu to be deployed.

Of that, Maersk will contribute about 42 per cent or 1.1 million teu, including its new Triple-E ships, with MSC accounting for just over a third of slots and CMA CGM 24 per cent.

The three lines will maintain fully independent sales, marketing and customer services functions in order to comply with competition laws.