The Gulf Express News

French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM plans to introduce its new product GUINEA GULF EXPRESS (GGX) service in complement of the current 6 weekly services as part of improving its  offer on the trade Europe and Mediterranean to West Africa strategic markets.The new Guinea Gulf Express is the second service from Gibraltar hubs linking European, Med and North America to Tema, Ghana, Nigeria Lagos port and Conakry, Guinea.It will provide perfect answers to Customers’ needs with transit times amongst the best on the market, the shipping giant claimed."Significant transit time improvement up to 12 days to Tema, 10 days to Tin Can Lagos and 2 days to Conakry.

Two new maritime lines are launched from Hamad Port which will enhance Qatar’s trade connections with various ports in China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Greece, among other countries. Qatar News Agency (QNA)  said that both lines will run on a weekly basis. The first line starts in the Mediterranean and will be serviced by with four ships, with a total capacity of 6,000 containers including 400 reefer containers. The China Gulf Express Service will connect Shanghai in China with Hamad Port, with designated stops at Ningbo (China), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), Xiamen (China), Shekou (China) and Port Klang (Malaysia) en route to Qatar. A single ship will ply this route and have a capacity of 6,000 containers, including 400 reefer containers, according to the MoTC.

Broward County's Port Everglades had a record-setting month in December 2016, logging 104,590 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry's standard measurement for containers), moving through the Port. This is the highest producing month in the Port's nearly 90 -year history, and a 15 percent increase over December 2015. TEU counts at Port Everglades have been climbing since September. "Our customers are bringing in higher volumes of consumer goods such as produce, clothing and household goods as the region's population increases. It's an indication of a strengthening economy," said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak. He announced the record TEU count at Florida Governor Rick Scott's 2017 Jobs Summit in Orlando on February 2, 2017.

​ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd (ZIM)  has announced a significant upgrading of its Atlantic network, offering improved connections between US, Canada and the Mediterranean, starting April 2017, subject to FMC approval. ZIM Container Service Italy (ZCI) - A new premium string, offering improved service to the Italian and French markets, connecting with Canada and the US East Coast, with faster transit time, additional ports of call in Italy and a direct call in Fos, France. ZIM’s flagship service, ZIM Container Service Atlantic (ZCA), operating 7 vessels, will focus on the East Med and Spain, with a new call in Algeciras, serving the South Spain market and adding new direct calls in two major Turkish ports- Izmir and Mersin.

APL today announced the launch of the Atlantic Gulf Express (AGX) Service – a direct Trans-Atlantic service which connects the key markets of North Europe, US South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. “Directly connecting the Port of Le Havre and Miami, the new AGX service will serve as a unique and market-leading Trans-Atlantic service that enables shipments across the US East Coast, North Europe and Mexico markets. It promises industry-leading transit time between Europe and major US South Atlantic ports, and fast connections between the US South Atlantic, US Gulf and Mexico markets that serve the needs of the customers,” said Eric Eng, APL Head of the Trans-Atlantic Trade.

Starting in June 2016, shipping company Hapag-Lloyd will add a new call in Port Everglades to its Mediterranean Gulf Express (MGX) service. Florida International Terminal (FIT), operated by SAAM since 2005 in Port Everglades – Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will add a new service. Starting next month, shipping company Hapag-Lloyd will include Port Everglades in the rotation of its Mediterranean Gulf Express (MGX) service, increasing its coverage between Europe and Southeast Florida. The first MGX call at FIT will take place in June, with a rotation that includes the ports of Cagliari, Livorno, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Port Everglades, Kingston, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston and New Orleans.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Ltd. formally introduced a new weekly container shipping service to the Port of New Orleans' Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal. The Caribbean Gulf Express, or CGX service, offers weekly service to Caucedo, Dominican Republic; Altamira and Vera Cruz, Mexico; and Kingston, Jamaica. The CGX service serves all major trade routes, including Asia through its hub in Kingston, Jamaica. Haifa, Israel-based ZIM employs five container ships in the CGX service. The company sails 101 vessels in its fleet with an overall capacity of 337…

Horizon Lines, Inc., (NYSE:HRZ), announced that it will add regularly scheduled vessel container service between Tampa, Florida and Puerto Rico. A vessel call at the Port of Tampa will be added to the carrier's Gulf Express Service (GAX), currently operating a fixed-day, bi-weekly schedule between Houston, Texas and San Juan. The Tampa service is scheduled to commence with the arrival of the Horizon Discovery on October 4. The Tampa call is expected to begin contributing to the company's earnings within the first few months of service. The expanded biweekly Gulf Express port rotation will be Houston, Tampa, San Juan. The Gulf Express complements the carrier's direct U.S. east coast Puerto Rico services offered from Jacksonville (twice weekly) and Elizabeth, N.J. (once weekly).

Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., announced their new slot exchange agreement on the Mediterranean – US trade, between Zim’s ZCS – Zim Container Service and Hapag-Lloyd’s MGX – Mediterranean Gulf Express, as from mid-Feb 2006. The slot exchange covers the following ports: Hapag Lloyd’s MGX will cover Cagliari – Livorno – Genoa – Barcelona – Valencia –Miami – Houston – New Orleans – Cagliari; and Zim’s ZCS will cover Haifa – Piraeus – Livorno – Barcelona – New York – Savannah – New York – Barcelona – Haifa.

With the acquisition of CP Ships by Hapag-Lloyd, plans are set for the first in a series of service rationalizations: the combining of services between the West Mediterranean, the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico from February 2006. "Thanks to the integration of the two hitherto independent services, we can significantly improve the product for our customers and also achieve the benefits of rationalization," commented Tony Firmin, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd Container Line, on the reorganization of the links between the West Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico, which will be effective from February 2006. This planned service improvement was expedited by the acquisition of P&O Nedlloyd by Maersk and the subsequent changes in previous joint ventures.