In April 2017 the major vessel-sharing alliances will transition from four groups to three.  Beneficial cargo owners should expect to have fewer choices for port callings.  As carriers consolidate their routings, certain US ports will experience an increase in volume while other less popular ports will notice a decline.  Terminal operators will have the biggest impact as they will need to prepare for bigger ships and shifts in volume.  It is still uncertain how the new alliances will affect rates since the capacity each will deploy is not confirmed.  The goal of the alliances is for the carriers to cut down operating costs but terminal operators warn that there is a need to improve service and data sharing in order to meet the needs of the beneficial cargo owners. Additional details are available at: http://www.joc.com/maritime-news/container-lines/new-alliances-challenge-global-supply-chains_20170107.html