New shipping alliance between HMM, ONE and Yang Ming to take effect
The Premier Alliance Agreement will take effect on Sunday, February 9, the US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) said recently.
The Premier Alliance Agreement allows South Korean container shipping company HMM, Japan's Ocean Network Express (ONE), and Taiwan's Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation to share vessels in the trades between the United States and Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The agreement was originally filed at the commission on October 28, 2024.
The FMC issued requests for additional information (RFAI) on November 5, 2024, to collect the data necessary for completing an economic analysis of the competitive effects of the agreement. The RFAI process included a 15-day public comment period, which generated filings by two industry trade associations.
The information provided by the Premier Alliance Agreement was deemed by the commission as responsive on December 26, 2024. The law provides the commission a maximum of 45 days to review a newly filed agreement or the responses to an RFAI before the agreement automatically goes into effect.
Alliance agreements are subject to the strictest standards for ongoing monitoring by the commission.
The FMC is interested in any information concerning suspected violations of the Shipping Act, 46 U.S.C. § 40101 et seq. or commission regulations, including misconduct by any company participating in an alliance agreement. Potentially illegal conduct can be reported to the commission’s Bureau of Enforcement, Investigations, and Compliance by writing to BEIC@FMC.gov.
