Source: OOCL Web Site.

Three Major Pendulum Routes Serviced by OOCL, 2006

The Hong Kong-based shipper Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) maintains several pendulum services servicing the world's major freight markets. The three main markets serviced by pendulum services are Western Europe (Atlantic and Mediterranean facades), North America (Atlantic and Pacific Facades) and Pacific Asia. Each is serviced by a series of port calls where containers are transshipped to offshore hubs or to hinterlands, depending on the function of the port. The itinerary of a pendulum service is thus carefully selected to insure distribution strategies that reflect the global and regional framework of trade. For instance, in a pendulum service, most of the traffic is bound to the other end of the pendulum. This is particularly the case for the United States where cabotage regulations (Jones Act) would forbid a foreign owned maritime shipper to carry traffic between American ports. In addition, large high capacity ships can be used for pendulum services (such as across the Pacific) since they are not required to transit through the Panama Canal and that the Suez Canal can accommodate the current generation of very large containerships (up to 16 meters / 12,000 TEU).

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