SHIPPING lines in the G6 Alliance are changing their network coverage of the Far East-Black Sea tradelane by launching a new dedicated feeder service with a connection via Port Said that will be added to Loop 4 of the G6 Alliance.

As a result the existing Far East-Black Sea Express (ABX) service will be shelved, with the last sailing operated by the MOL Performance scheduled to arrive in Ningbo on August 30.

The rotation of the new weekly feeder service that will commence on September 2 at Port Said, then rotate through Ashdod, Istanbul, Constanza, Odessa, Istanbul, Ashdod and back to Port Said. The service will deploy two 3,000-TEU vessels.

The G6 Mediterranean service, EUM, will also provide a connection to the new Black Sea feeder service through its existing Port Said call, according to a statement issued by Singapore's APL.

It added that following these changes, OOCL will continue to serve the Far East-Black Sea trade via an "alternative service arrangement".

The G6 Alliance members are APL, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Merchant Marine, MOL, NYK and orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL).

OOCL will continue to offer direct FE-Black Sea service through slots on Zim's East Med-Black Sea Express' (EMX) serving Haifa, Istanbul, Odessa, Novorossisk, Istanbul, Haifa, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Port Kelang, Shenzhen-Dachan Bay, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen-Dachan Bay, Port Kelang and and back Haifa. The first OOCL sailing on EMX is planned from Busan on September 6 with the Zim Shekou.