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Direct Services News

23 Mar 2020

Western Supply Chains Buckle as Coronavirus Lockdowns Spread

Š THATREE / Adobe Stock

Freight carriers are struggling to deliver goods by land, sea or air as the coronavirus pandemic forces Western governments to impose lockdowns, threatening supplies of vital products including medicines into the most affected areas, such as Italy.While China's draconian steps to stop the spread of the virus are now allowing its economy slowly to come back online, supply chains are backing up in other parts of the world.Problems ranging from finding enough truck drivers to restrictions on seafarers and a lack of air freight are hitting the smooth flow of goods…

05 Mar 2020

MCT Completes 1st Year of Operations

The container port in the Limón province of Costa Rica, Terminal de Contenedores de Moín or Moín Container Terminal (MCT), operated by APM Terminals, completed its first year of operations on February 28.A press release from the international container terminal operating company headquartered in The Hague said that during the year the terminal serviced more than 1,100 ships, around 1.2 million TEUs and achieved important improvements in productivity, sustainability and the training of 1,000 employees from the province of Limón.“During this time, we’ve reached very important milestones, such as the opening of new direct trade routes, increased port efficiency…

27 Nov 2019

Nigeria Ports in Pact with Port of Antwerp

The Antwerp port community and its various partners are currently on a trade mission to West-Africa, including Benin and Nigeria.A collaboration agreement was signed between Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Port of Antwerp, and APEC, its maritime training center, and Nigerian Ports Authority, which manages the 6 ports of Nigeria. This collaboration, which will mainly take the form of training and consulting, underlines the leading role that the port of Antwerp plays in West Africa.The port of Antwerp is known in Africa as the maritime center of Europe, thanks to the numerous supply chain connections. The synergy between maritime, logistics and industrial activities creates a unique platform.

28 Oct 2019

Hamburg, India Sea Trade Up by 17%

In the 2019 first half, 106,000 TEU - 20-ft standard containers - were handled in Hamburg on direct services with Indian ports, a gain of 17 percent. This brought India up into tenth place in Hamburg’s ranking of its trading partners for container transport.With Hapag Lloyd and its partner shipowners ONE, YML and COSCO offering an additional weekly sailing from Hamburg on the IEX - South-East India–Europe Express service from November onwards, the prospects for further growth are good.Ten liner services link the Port of Hamburg with India. Of these, four are container liner services, three are Ro-Ro services transporting vehicles, and three are general cargo services…

06 Aug 2019

Tenaris Tests in Culzean Project

Tenaris has pushed the limits of its high pressure/high temperature (HP/HT) technology, and through precision in execution in testing, delivery, running and expert services, generated outstanding results for its work on Total’s Culzean project.According to the supplier of tubes and related services for the world's energy industry and certain other industrial applications the Culzean gas field is located in the challenging waters of the North Sea, about 145 miles off the coast of Aberdeen.The field began production in June and is anticipated, at peak, to provide five percent of the United Kingdom’s gas demand.Tenaris supplied TenarisHydril Blue Max and TenarisHydril Blue Heavy Wall connections…

18 Jul 2019

Tema Port MPS Terminal 3 to Begin Phase 3

Mohamed Samara, CEO of MPS Terminal 3 at Tema Port, Ghana, announced that shareholders had approved the immediate construction of Phase 2 with completion expected by end of 2020, two years earlier than initially planned.With a depth of 18 meters, the new entrance channel to the Port is one of the deepest in Africa, allowing the worlds’ biggest vessels to enter both today and in the coming years.The harbor basin provides the space to dredge deeper and build additional wharves if required. It can currently accommodate up to 20 berths (depending on vessel size) with MPS operating on 4 berths.Following the launch of MPS Terminal 3 June 28…

14 May 2019

PIL Enhances Transpacific Services

The Singapore-based family-owned shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL)  announced that PIL will be enhancing our Transpacific service by offering direct services from Vietnam to the U.S West Coast, with effect from end April 2019.America China Service 5 (AC5) will be adding Haiphong as first port of call with effect from 30th April 2019.Full rotation of America China Service 5 (AC5): Haiphong - Nansha - Hong Kong - Yantian - Long Beach - Oakland - Yantian - HaiphongPIL also launched a new string, America Cai Mep Service 2 (AC2), achieved through slot agreement on Ocean Alliance PSW3 service, with effect from 28th April 2019.Full…

24 Apr 2019

HMM, FESCO Expand Cooperation

South Korean major Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) unveiled its plans to expand cooperation with Russian container line FESCO on their China Russia North Service (CRN).HMM has been jointly operating a China-Korea-Russia weekly service, under the name of ‘CRN’ with FESCO and CMA CGM.With the expansion of cooperation, the current CRN will be reorganized and two of new direct services connecting Korea and Russia, named 'KR2 (Korea Russia Service 2)' and 'KRS (Korea Russia Service)', will be introduced in the service network of HMM.HMM deploys one vessel (1,000 TEU) on the KR2 which directly connects Busan and Vostochny, while FESCO places one vessel (1,200 TEU) on the KRS, the direct service between Busan and Vladivostok.The commencement date of respective service is on May 11 for KR2 and on Ma

11 Jun 2018

Hapag-Lloyd Scaling Back Iran Business

(File photo: Hapag-Lloyd)

German shipping line Hapag-Lloyd has stopped one of two feeder services to Iran and will decide on the remaining one before a Nov. 4 deadline imposed by the United States, which has reimposed sanctions on Tehran.Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd, the world's fifth largest container company, said it had initiated a process to stop handling products included in the list of commodities hit by U.S. sanctions, within the required wind down timeline.The group said it did not have any direct services handling Iran volumes of its own…

23 Apr 2018

World's Largest Short Sea Ro-Ro Vessel Named in Dublin

MV Celine, the world’s largest short sea Ro-Ro ship, will today be christened in a ceremony at Dublin Port with guest of honour, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD, Godmother to the new ship, Geraldine O’Reilly, and the port’s chaplains. The formal ceremony is a long-held tradition intended to bring good fortune to the ship and involves breaking a champagne bottle against the hull as the ship is christened. To mark today’s occasion, new Irish music commissioned by Dublin Port and performed by John Sheahan of the Dubliners and Colm Mac Con Iomaire of the Frames will premiere at the ceremony, heralding the ship’s naming in front of invited guests representing her Luxembourg-based owner CLdN and the wider European shipping industry.

02 Mar 2018

CMA CGM BIANCA, Largest Ship to Call in Cameroon (Kribi)

The CMA CGM Group, a leader in maritime transport, announced the start of its commercial operations at the Kribi Container Terminal. On this occasion, the CMA CGM BIANCA, 8721 TEUs and 335 meters long, became the largest container ship to call in Cameroon on 2 March 2018. The CMA CGM Group is deploying four new weekly direct services in Kribi to northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia. West Feeder Service, connecting Kribi, Port Gentil, Boma, Matadi and Libreville. Thanks to its strategic positioning, the Kribi hub will also significantly reduce transit times. Located in Cameroon, a growing market, the Kribi terminal aims to act…

01 Feb 2018

Maersk Line to Start New Asia-Latin America Service

Maersk Line announced the launch of the new Asia – Latin America / West Coast South America services. The service will provide Maersk Line’s customers with new direct products for Colombia, the Caribbean and Pecem, Brazil. It will reduce transit times and offer greater port coverage, while maintaining the network’s leading reliability. The new service will begin operations at the beginning of April 2018. To improve its product offering and optimise its Asia – Latin America / West Coast South America (AC) network, Maersk Line will add a fourth loop to the network at of the beginning of April. The AC5 service, connecting Asia to Colombia, the Caribbean and Pecem, will provide greater port coverage and reduced transit times, most notably to the Colombian market.

29 Dec 2017

OOCL Rolls-out Next Phase of OCEAN Alliance

Following the success of the Day One products introduced earlier this year, Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCL) announced the forthcoming launch of the second phase of the OCEAN Alliance products in April 2018, an improved suite of products providing industry-leading services to customers. The emphasis on quality services has long been the hallmark of the OOCL brand. Since the inauguration of our services in April 2017, OOCL has made steady progress to meet the requirements of our customers as they find that we are among the top performers in terms of schedule reliability. In collaboration with our like-minded partners, we…

22 Dec 2017

Antwerp to Manage Port of Cotonou

Port of Antwerp International (PAI), the consultancy and investment subsidiary of Antwerp Port Authority, has been appointed by the Council of Ministers of the West African country of Benin to modernise the port of Cotonou. This port is the economic heart of Benin, handling an annual freight volume of around 12 million tonnes. In the longer term, the port authority wants the port to grow further, but both the infrastructure and the organization are outdated. The government therefore decided to temporarily outsource the management of the port. “We are delighted that the Benin government has opted for the expertise and knowhow of Antwerp,” says port alderman Marc Van Peel, who is also chairman of PAI.

30 Nov 2017

Maersk Completes Hamburg Süd Acquisition

The transaction between Oetker Group and Maersk Line for Maersk Line's acquisition of Hamburg Süd, the German container line, was closed on 30 November 2017. On 1 December 2016, Maersk Line announced its intention to acquire Hamburg Süd. The acquisition triggered a regulatory approval process in 23 jurisdictions which was successfully concluded on Tuesday 28 November with the approval of the acquisition by the Korea Fair Trade Commission. "With the final approval of the acquisition we have reached an important milestone in our strategy to become an integrated transport and logistics company delivering sustainable growth. These are truly exciting times and we are looking forward to taking the first steps forward as one company," says Søren Skou, CEO of A.P.

16 Nov 2017

OOCL Introduces China Pakistan Express 3

Following its announcement of the China Pakistan Express 2 (CPX2) last week, Orient Overseas Container Line Limited (OOCL) is all set to introduce the China Pakistan Express 3 (CPX3), another new Intra-Asia service to expand  its product portfolio by providing a more comprehensive service network connecting the markets of India and Pakistan. The CPX3 provides additional sailing frequency from Central China to Mundra and strategically expands its service coverage in Pakistan. "Together with the CPX2, offering direct services from Xiamen to Karachi as well as Karachi to Shanghai, and the existing China Pakistan Express (CPX) product, we are able to offer a very comprehensive network with 3 sailings per week from Asia to Pakistan that is more flexible…

11 Jul 2017

ICTSI Subic on Growth Path

International Container Terminal Services, Inc.’s (ICTSI) new Container Freight Station (CFS) at the Subic Bay Freeport is at the forefront of ensuring the faster movement of goods in the Northern and Central Luzon markets. The two regions continue to grow, driven by industrial centers like Subic, Clark, Bataan, and Tarlac. Launched last year, the CFS is one of Subic Bay International Corp.’s (SBITC) value-added services. The CFS, envisioned to serve as a regional distribution center (RDC), makes the more efficient movement of goods possible because of its quicker clearing periods compared to other RDCs. It saves time, cuts costs, thereby helping improve margins for companies doing business with other countries.

06 Jul 2017

APM Terminals Wins South America Calls on New Asian Service

Direct services between Asia and the East Coast of South America will begin port calls at APM Terminals Buenos Aires, Argentina, and APM Terminals Itajaí, Brazil. The joint service deployed by Hapag-Lloyd, NYK, ZIM, Hyundai and Hamburg Sud prefers their vessels call APM Terminals' facilities in Itajai (Brazil) and T4 in Buenos Aires (Argentina). The weekly Asian service, operated jointly with 13 vessels from Hapag-Lloyd, NYK, Zim, Hamburg Süd and Hyundai, will call the Asian ports of Kelang, Singapore, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Shekou and Busan. The service will begin August 25th with the arrival of the first vessel into Terminal 4 Buenos Aires.

25 Jan 2017

Eimskip, RAL Order Containerships from China

Images: Eimskip

Iceland’s Eimskip and Greenland’s Royal Arctic Line (RAL) have signed an agreement to share capacity, and together ordered three new ice-class containerships to be built in China. Eimskip said it has finalized contracts with China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited and Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard Co. Ltd. for the construction of two 2,150 TEU container vessels, and RAL also signed a contract for one vessel of the same type from the same shipyard. With a length of 180 meters and breadth of 31 meters…

03 Apr 2017

OCEAN Alliance Launch Announced

CMA CGM, a leading worldwide shipping group, launches Saturday April 1st the 40 new maritime services of its new operational alliance OCEAN Alliance. Combining this new offer of maritime services with a global intermodal and logistics offer, CMA CGM Group and its subsidiaries supply its customers with tailored solutions, even more competitive on the routes Asia-Europe, Asia-Mediterranean, Asia-Red Sea, Asia–Middle East, Trans-Pacific, Asia-East Coast of North America trades and Transatlantic. CMA CGM Group is the major player in this operational alliance, as it brings 119 of the 323 ships to OCEAN Alliance. With its 650 offices in more than 160 countries…

24 Apr 2017

Yang Ming Halts Container Service to Iran

Taiwan’s troubled Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp is halting its container service to Iran, becoming the first foreign shipping line to abandon the route a year after international sanctions on Tehran were lifted, Reuters reported. Yang Ming announced in a regulatory filing it had suspended its share trading until May 4 in an effort to reduce losses from a global downturn in shipping. Yang Ming, the world’s ninth largest container shipping line, is a comparatively small player in Iran, calling there just once a week. Several larger shipping lines have begun serving Iran since sanctions were lifted a year ago. An executive with Keelung-headquartered Yang Ming said the firm had “ceased direct services to Iran on concerns of rising tensions there”.

20 Sep 2016

DP World London Gateway Adds New Shipping Service

DP World London Gateway Port has announced a new shipping service to Australia, the Mediterranean and other key markets. CMA-CGM’s NEMO (North European Mediterranean Oceania) and Hapag Lloyd’s EAX (Europe, Australia Express) combined service will begin calling at DP World London Gateway Port in early January 2017, with CMA CGM’s Rossini as the first to call on the service. The new business will mean DP World London Gateway is handling all of the UK’s direct services to Australia. In addition to four port calls at cities in Australia, the service will provide the Port with more direct links between Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Malta and Italy.

03 Nov 2016

Gothenburg, Rotterdam New Service Begins

The opening of a new freight service to Rotterdam is a welcome development, presenting further opportunities for Swedish industry. The company behind the new service is the ro-ro* carrier CLdN, whose vessels will call at the Port of Gothenburg twice a week. A new freight service has been introduced between Gothenburg and the continent, operated by Luxembourg-based ro-ro company CLdN. The company’s vessels will depart twice weekly from Logent Ports and Terminals at the Port of Gothenburg, bound for Rotterdam. “Rotterdam is a highly important freight hub for many Swedish import and export companies. A further alternative means of reaching Rotterdam is now available…