ZIM and TS Lines suspend some trans-Pacific routes

Affected by the recent Sino-US tariff policy, the volume of trans-Pacific routes has declined. Many liner companies, including ZIM and TS Lines, have recently announced the suspension of some trans-Pacific routes. ZIM Shipping recently suspended the Central China Xpress (ZX2).

It is understood that this route is a trans-Pacific route launched by ZIM on June 27, 2024, and started operation on July 3 of the same year. Five 5,500TEU ships are deployed on this route, calling at Shanghai, Ningbo and Los Angeles, and it only takes 35 days to go back and forth.

According to industry consulting agency Alphaliner, TS Lines has also recently suspended its independently operated trans-Pacific route AWC2, which connects Nansha, Yantian, Shekou, Xiamen and Los Angeles.

It is reported that TS Lines had previously planned to deploy six container ships with an average capacity of 1,750TEU on the AWC2 route, with a round-trip voyage of 42 days, but since the beginning of 2025, the route has been plagued by suspension and port skipping.

In addition, ONE has previously announced that it will suspend the trans-Pacific route PN4 (Pacific North 4) planned to be operated by the Premier Alliance in May. The original ports of the PN4 route include Ningbo, Shanghai, Vancouver, and Tacoma.

Regarding the recent suspension of trans-Pacific routes by many liner companies, Alphaliner analysis believes that in addition to the recent tariff policy between China and the United States leading to a decline in bookings, this market behavior is also affected by the current decline in spot freight rates on trans-Pacific routes.

Some industry insiders also said that this is a measure taken by liner companies to cope with the current uncertain trade environment. The person expects that other liner companies and alliances will also take similar measures.