Week 2007/24 11/06/2007 to 17/06/2007 is a weekly summary of the latest liner shipping news compiled by Alphaliner and published daily on the AXS website. It is e-mailed every Monday night, and is available free of charge upon request, at AXS discretion. Information is given in good faith but without guarantee. Please send your feedback, comments and questions to data@alphaliner.com ICG changes hands A consortium of Irish investors has purchased Irish Continental Group (ICG). ICG, which is based in Dublin (where it operates the ferry and container terminals). ICG offers services linking Ireland to the UK and to the Continent with passenger/freight ferries (Irish Ferries) and container ships covering the trade between the Continent, UK and Ireland, with following subsidiaries : > Eucon Shg & Transport Ltd (formerly operating alongside Hudig & Kersten) provides sailings between Ireland, the UK and Benelux. > EuroFeeders Ltd (formerly known as 'Bugsier Linie', until its sale to ICG) is based in Felixstowe. It provides pure feeder services between Ireland and the UK hubs of Thamesport, Tilbury and Southampton. In addition, it offers connections with Le Havre and Rotterdam. > Feederlink Shipping & Trading B.V. is based in Rotterdam where it was formed in 1993. It provides sailing between Rotterdam and the UK East Coast. The NAFEX is launched The new China-Jakarta-Malta service of CMA CGM (North Africa Express - NAFEX) has been launched on 13 June with the sailing from Shanghai of the CMA CGM JASMIN (2,838 teu - ex CMA CGM VIRGINIA). This service connects at Marsaxlokk, its only Med call, with North Africa -among other sectors-. The NAFEX will be ensured with seven ships of 2,600-3,000 teu calling at Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Jakarta and Marsaxlokk, CMA CGM's Central Med hub. It will meet there the numerous North Africa feeders covering Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. The following ships will ensure the NAFEX : > CMA CGM JASMIN (2,838 teu - ex CMA CGM VIRGINIA) > CMA CGM PASSIFLORE (3,065 teu - alias HENRY) > CMA CGM VANILLE (2,829 teu - alias INDE- PENDENCE) > CMA CGM LOTUS (3,098 teu - alias VICTORY I) > CMA CGM GARDENIA (2,686 teu - alias EXPRESS I) > CMA CGM LYS (2,686 teu - alias FREEDOM I) Two interim ships, the 1,939 teu NORTHERN FORTUNE and the 1,691 teu CMA CGM ARISTOTE, will also participate during the launching phase. page 1 of 1
Various Lines News Further to discussions engaged a few weeks ago, Evergreen is to take slots on the new Asia-USEC service via Panama (ESX) and on the new Asia-USEC service via Suez (SZX) that New World Alliance (APL + MOL + HMM) launched in June- July 2007. Besides, HMM is understood to get a slot allocation on the SE Asia-Med leg of the recently organized Evergreen s UAM Pendulum. CKYH Alliance will reorganize its PNW North Loop and PNW North Loop by merging them within a PNW North + South Loop with a butterfly pattern, effective July 2007. CKYH Alliance believes that this restructuring will help maintain schedule integrity. The port coverage remains unchanged. The two loops are operated by COSCO and Hanjin with K Line and Yang Ming buying slots. Nine ships of 5,500 teu will be deployed on the Butterfly service against a total of eight ships for the current loops (4 + 4). MOL is to add a direct service between India and the United States via Suez, effective July 2007. This new service, the 'India-America Express' (IAX), will be ensured through a slot allocation on the Indamex service, operated by CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and APL. MOL continues to expand its Indian Ocean services, the IAX being the fourth new Indian string added since the launch of the 'Singapore-Chennai Express' (SMX) last October. November saw the introduction of the New Nhava Sheva / Strait Area service (NS 2) and this July will see the upgrade of the India-Pakistan-UAE-Africa service (MRX). The Suez Express service (SZX), also slated to debut in July together with the IAX, will provide a comprehensive network for the Asia-US trade via the Suez Canal, while the IAX will open trade to/from Egypt and the East Mediterranean via Damietta and Port Said. Chinese press reports mention that US carrier Matson Navigation Company is "actively exploring opportunities" for a second route to China, adding to its existing route, covering direct connection between Ningbo, Shanghai and Long Beach. Maersk Line and Safmarine said that the Cape Town southbound call will be skipped until further notice on the main SAECS loop in order to maintain schedule integrity. The Cape Town northbound call is maintained. Besides, Cape Town will continue to be served as first South Africa call on the intermediate SAECS loop. This decision also concern the two other SAECS partners, MOL and DAL. Maersk explains this move by the congestion and associated delays at ports in South Africa and Europe. PIL is joining this month as slot buyer the Taiwan-Middle East service (TMS), operated by Yang Ming, Wan Hai and Hapag-Lloyd. MISC Bhd has organized a weekly service connecting Port Kelang and Singapore to the Philippines (with calls at Davao and Manila). This new service is ensured with two chartered ships averaging 570 teu, the VINALINES PIONEER (588 teu) and the MARVEL (556 teu). Europe West Indies Line (EWL) is offering connections between the Mediterranean and its Caribbean-Central America network thanks to a slot purchase on the Melfi's MedCan service, with connections ensured at Halifax between this latter service and the main EWL liner service linking North Europe, Canada (Halifax), page 2 of 5
the Caribbean, NCSA and Central America (Both services call at Halifax). Besides, EWL has suspended its Guyana feeder service and has relet the two 1,000 teu ships plying it, HANSA WIS- MAR and ENDEAVOUR. EWL uses the CFS common feeder services instead. United Feeder Services has organized two new feeder loops, believed operated in co-operation with Adria Maritime, an Italian company linked to Italia Marittima and Evergreen. These two loops connect the Taranto hub (Evergreen hub) with Civita Vecchia, La Spezia, Tunisia and Libya, using the 380 teu CAMIRA (UFS) and the 519 teu SIEFKE (Adria). These two services cover destinations which were until now covered by an Evergreen dedicated service, the Tunisia + Civita Vecchia + La Spezia feeder service (CTS), recently suspended. NYK has announced the launch of weekly feeder connection between Damietta and Beirut, Lattakia and Mersin (ELX). It has also announced a regular connection between the Far East by transhipment at Barcelona to Tunisia and Morocco (connection with the expanded EU M loop). MacAndrews (the UK subsidiary of CMA CGM) is to launch this week a weekly service connecting Bilbao, Sheerness and Rotterdam, using the freshly chartered 301 teu GEORG MITCHELL. It supersedes (for the Benelux connection) the service offered until now through slot buying on the Delphis Team Lines' Benelux-Bilbao service. Delphis-Team Lines has closed its Le Havre-Dunkirk-UK feeder service[end] (which was ensured with a 360 teu ship) concurrently with the inclusion of Dunkirk and Le Havre calls on its North Europe-Vigo-Portugal service. This service was launched in October 2005 by Delphis, replacing the 'Dunkerque Express' service initially operated by NCS. Greek owner Target Marine has purchased from APM-Maersk linked interests five of the twelve ships of the D9-J class (2,686 teu built 1980), the SEA-LAND MARINER, FREEDOM, VOYAGER, EX- PRESS and ENDURANCE. Two of them have been chartered by CMA CGM and two other by MSC. A fifth one remains unfixed so far. Deliveries MOL has christened its first ever VLCS, the MOL CREATION -advertised by MOL with a 8,100 teu capacity-. The ship has been built at the Mitsubishi's Nagasaki Shipyard. She will join in July the Europe-FE FAL 1 / NCE service, as anticipated, bringing to 10 the number of Far East-North Europe loops advertised by MOL. Although of a 45.60 m beam (18 rows), the MOL CREATION is a short version of 18 rows standard ships, with a length of only 316 m, against 335-350 m for most of the 18 rows ships in service or on order, with capacities ranging from 9,000 to 10,000 teu, according to length. The MOL CREATION is the first of eight VLCS built in Japan, ordered in three steps initiated in April 2004. These eight ships are earmarked by MOL for the Asia-Europe route, but no details have been made public on their future route. The eight ships are expected to be in service by the last quarter 2008. Maersk Line is to take in charge this week the MAERSK SEMBAWANG, fourth of a series of seven ships of an advertised capacity of 6,500 teu, ordered at Hyundai H.I in February 2004 as 6,070 teu ships by the Singapore branch of the A.P. Möller-Maersk Group, although they page 3 of 5
are actually to be significantly larger, with a reappraised capacity of 7,250 teu. These ships are derived from an improved version of the 'Hyundai 6500' design, with an additional 40 ft bay and a maximised deck intake. The MAERSK SEMBAWANG is to join the enhanced Maersk Line Far East-Mexico-Balboa service (AC-2), joining her forerunners MAERSK SELETAR, MAERSK SENTOSA and MAERSK SERANGOON (delivered since mid-may). The Singapore branch of A.P. Möller- Maersk has received the MAERSK KU- SHIRO, fourth of ten ships of 6,478 teu ordered at Hanjin in several steps, with the first batch contracted in September 2004. The MAERSK KUSHIRO is assigned to the Maersk Line Asia-Europe AE-8 loop. CMA CGM has taken in charge the 5,078 teu CMA CGM MARLIN, fifth of twelve maxi-panamaxes of 5,078 teu ordered with Hyundai in three steps (Jan 2004 / Aug 2004 / Feb 2005). The CMA CGM MARLIN is assigned to the CMA CGM's China-US Gulf PEX 3 loop. Peter Döhle has received the 1,853 teu VALENTINA, sixth of a new series built in Hamburg by J.J. Sietas. This new series is coded 'Typ 170b' and is a modified version of the 'Typ 170' (1,678-1,683 teu), six of which having been built in 2002-2004. The VALENTINA has been taken in charge by OOCL (initial Hapag- Lloyd charter) and is joining today at Liverpool the Europe-Canada 'GEX 3' loop, operated by OOCL and Hapag- Lloyd within the SLCS frame (joining the sister ship VALDIVIA). Hermann Buss has received this week the 1,296 teu WARNOW DOLPHIN, sixth of 12 ships ordered by Buss and Thien & Heyenga at the Ouhua Shipyard (Euro- China Shipyard), located in the Zhejiang Province. She has been chartered by TS Lines which has renamed her TS KAOH- SIUNG. She is assigned to the TSL's Japan-Korea-Taiwan-Hong Kong-Thailand service 2 (JHT-2). Universal Marine B.V. (Netherlands) has received the 1,118 teu YELLOW RIVER, a 'CV 1100' design from the Qing Shan Shipyard. She is the fourth of a series of CV 1100 ships ordered by this company, which finances them on the Netherlands market. She has joined her charterer, Emirates Express Line (ESL) under the name of EMIRATES MERU, for assignment on the recently launched ESL-TSL 'GIA' service. She follows in the Universal Marine fleet the HUDSON RIVER, delivered in May, and also under ESL charter for the GIA service as EMIRATES ADAM. Reederei Friedhelm Dede, of Jork, has received the 868 teu MAX LINUS DEDE, built by J.J. Sietas ('Typ 168'). She has joined Unifeeder on its Baltic and Scandinavia feeder network. She brings to 43 the number of Sietas 'Typ 168' built since this design was launched six years ago (The 'Typ 168' is available in three versions, explaining the slight differences in a few features, including the nominal teu capacity, number of reefer plugs, gear and ice class). German owner Vega Reederei has received the VEGA ZIRCON, second of four units of 706 teu ordered by this owner at the Zhejiang Yangfan Shipping Group during the Summer 2005. She has proceeded directly from China and SE Asia to the Med and has joined this week her charterer, Sea Consortium, under the name of X-PRESS MONTE BIANCO. She has joined the Thyrrenian X-Press service, which connect Gioia Tauro with Western Italy ports. page 4 of 5
Terminals Zim Integrated Shipping Services has acquired a 20% share in Antwerp Gateway Terminal, which started operating in September 2005. The terminal will offer a capacity of 3.5 Mteu by 2010. Zim purchased the previous A.P. Möller (Maersk) 20% share. Other partners are DP World (42.5%), COSCO Pacific (20%), CMA CGM (10%) and Duisport (7.5%). Zim will thus use the terminal for its existing and future services, connecting North Europe with the USA, the Caribbeans, Central America, West Africa, the Far East and the Mediterranean. page 5 of 5