Alliance between the TOP 3 carriers – The P3 Alliance

Following 5 years of crisis which has deeply impacted the shipping industry, the TOP 3 carriers, MAERSK, MSC & CMA-CGM have decided to join forces on some of the major ocean routes by pooling their vessels. At this stage, 252 vessels are involved, totaling 2,6 million TEU deployed on 28 loops. This will cover Asia-Europe, Trans-Pacific & Trans-Atlantic trades. The P3 fleet will be managed by a new joint vessel operating center located in London. Within this alliance, MAERSK represents 42% of the vessel capacity, MSC 34% and CMA-CGM 24%. Each line will have fully independent sales, pricing, marketing and customer service functions, only the operational aspects will be shared.

The P3 Alliance will start in the second quarter of 2014 subject to approval from the relevant authorities. On October 22nd, 2013, the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) chairman called on fellow regulators in the European Union and China to join a global regulatory summit concerning the P3 Alliance.

To find out more about the P3 Alliance, please use the relevant links below :

• Maersk P3 Network presentation
• MSC web site P3 presentation
• CMA-CGM P3 announcement