Maersk Line and Hamburg Süd have entered into an agreement for Hamburg Süd’s cargo on the East-West trade to be shipped on vessels belonging to the 2M network, consisting of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company.

“We are pleased with this agreement,” said Søren Toft, chief operating officer of Maersk Line. “Accommodating these additional volumes enables improved utilization in our fleet and in turn provides opportunities to enhance our customer offering on select trades in our East-West network.”

According to Hamburg Süd, the slot purchase agreement with Maersk, which is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2017, was made in anticipation of the termination of current arrangements with other shipping lines, which are undergoing changes in alliance structure.

“Hamburg Süd is very satisfied about the agreement with Maersk,” said Frank Smet, member of the executive board of Hamburg Süd. “Our customers will benefit from extended port coverage, best transit times, and an increased number of loops in the East-West trades.”

The German shipping line will be able to offer its customers five Asia-North Europe sailings, two Asia-Western Mediterranean sailings, four Asia-US West Coast sailings, three Asia-US East Coast sailings and two trans-Atlantic sailings every week.

The agreement is not related to Maersk Line’s announcement in December 2016 that it would be acquiring Hamburg Süd, according to Maersk.