Two container shipping giants, CMA CGM and Maersk, will join forces on services linking Asia and the US east and west coasts from May, reports Thestar.com.my.

The two companies will launch two joint shipping strings, namely the Colombus route and the Hudson loop, the website said.

The Colombus loop is a pendulum service with rotation of port in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Yantian, Singapore, Suez, New York, Norfolk, Tangier, Suez, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yantian, Shanghai, Pusan, Seattle, Vancouver, Yokohama and Shanghai.

The Hudson loop port rotation includes Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Pusan, Balboa, Panama, Savannah, New York, Miami, Panama, Balboa and Ningbo.

The new services are expected to improve the companies’ services via extensive port coverage.

These two strings will be operated with ships of 6,500 TEUs capacity via Suez and 5,100 TEUs via Panama.

According to a statement by CMA CGM group vice-president North America Lines, Jean Philippe Thenoz, this rationalisation of services would replace its existing capacity, allowing the company to strengthen port coverage.

The move follows the firms’ announcement in November of a vessel-sharing agreement for Asia-Europe trade.