THE US Federal Maritime Commission has delayed approval of the new alliance planned by Ocean Network Express, HMM and Yang Ming, seeking further information to assess potential competitive impacts.

The Premier Alliance agreement, which enables the three entities to share vessels, charter or exchange vessel space, negotiate and agree on vessels’ size, number and operational features, and participate in other related global activities, was set to begin on Thursday, 45 days after submission by the three shipping companies on October 28.

However, the commission issued a request for additional information last Friday, demanding the necessary documents and details to clarify aspects that were overlooked or insufficiently addressed in the original agreement submission.

The submitted version “lacks sufficient detail to allow for a complete analysis of potential competitive impacts and whether the agreement fully complies with all statutory requirements”, the FMC said.

The commission has 45 days after receiving complete responses to the RFAI to assess the agreement for competitive and legal issues before it takes effect.

In September, the three Asian shipping companies announced a collaboration within the Premier Alliance for five years starting in February, along with a separate agreement with MSC. This decision came after Hapag-Lloyd departed from The Alliance to join the new Gemini Cooperation with Maersk.

Before the FMC’s RFAI was issued, the Premier Alliance disclosed its inaugural sailing details on the same day for the Asia-Europe, transpacific and Asia-Middle East trade routes, encompassing 24 services on the east-west routes.

The Premier Alliance has a combined fleet of 416 vessels totalling 3.5m teu, with approximately 800,000 teu on order. ONE contributes more than half of the capacity.

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