ZIM moves to fill the gap left by HMM at 2M

Israeli carrier has announced a further expansion of its strategic cooperation with the members of the 2M Alliance, Maersk and MSC, with two new strings on the Asia – US Gulf trade.

The new services, catering for both central and south China and South Korea, feature two weekly cutoffs in Houston and Mobile to serve growing US exports requirements.

The news comes in the wake of the decision by South Korea’s HMM to sever its ties with 2M and shift to become a full member at rival container grouping, THE Alliance, from April next year.

“This is the third phase of our tightening cooperation with the 2M Alliance, now extending to four major trades. I’m confident in our strategy, which gains momentum while our customers reap the benefits,” Eli Glickman, ZIM president and CEO said yesterday.

The new cooperation follows previous agreements between ZIM and 2M in the Asia – US East Coast tradelane, operating since September 2018, and on the Asia – Pacific Northwest and the Asia – Mediterranean trades, operating since March this year.