CONTAINER shipping capacity on the Asia-Europe route is projected to fall 11 per cent with the implementation of new shipping alliances, according to analysis by Copenhagen research house eeSea, reports St Petersburg's PortNews.

Despite this overall reduction, the number of weekly sailings is expected to rise from 26 to 28.

The shift is driven by the dissolution of existing alliances, such as the Ocean Alliance, 2M, and THE Alliance, and the formation of new partnerships, notably the Gemini Cooperation and the Premier Alliance.

These changes are prompting carriers to adjust their service offerings and capacity allocations.

"Despite two fewer weekly sailings into Northern Europe, Gemini Cooperation will provide fairly equal representation on both subtrades, in terms of proforma capacity," commented Destine Ozuygur, head of forecasting and operations at eeSea.

"The Premier Alliance, on the other hand, will have a bit more impact in northern Europe, with 59,000 TEU vs 51,000 TEU average weekly TEU deliverable."

While the Ocean Alliance will maintain its six weekly services, Gemini will offer four, and the Premier Alliance, in conjunction with MSC, will provide five.