NYK chairman Yasumi Kudo has said it will be difficult for collapsed Hanjin Shipping to remain part of The Alliance grouping of container lines.

He was speaking at a press conference this week in his role as president of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association, the Nikkei daily reported.

The cooperation between the big three Japanese lines, Hanjin, Hapag-Lloyd and Yang Ming was announced earlier this year to take on the 2M and Ocean Alliance combinations of rival.

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