New shipping consortium sets new global standards

- 12 ships to call on Malta

A new consortium comprising Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, Contship Containerlines, Hamburg Sud, Marfret and P&O Nedlloyd has been formed with a view to offering improved shipment facilities between Europe, North America and Australasia. The partners will be deploying 22 ships altogether.

"With the new service structure we shall be achieving shorter transit t1imes and greater frequency of sailings," said Gunther Casjens, executive CEO of Hapag-Lloyd Container Line.

Two new liner services will encircle the globe from opposite directions as of this month. The round-the world-services are replacing existing services along separate routes, the consortium said.

One service will serve the east coast of the US from Europe, proceeding through the Panama Canal and calling at islands in the South Pacific en route to Australia/New Zealand, continuing to Southeast Asia before returning via the Suez Canal to Europe.

The 12 vessels deployed on this service will offer container capacity of 2,200 TEU and call at Tilbury, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Le Havre, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, a Caribbean port, Papeete, Auckland, Noumea, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Singapore/Port Klang, Jeddah, Damietta, Malta, La Spezia and Tilbury again.

The second liner service will sail from Europe via the Suez Canal to Australia/New Zealand, returning via the Panama Canal and the east coast of the US to northern Europe. Calls will be made at Tilbury, Hamburg, Rotterdam, La Spezia, Damietta, Fremantle, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Napier, Port Chalmers, a Caribbean port, Savannah, Philadelphia, New York, Zeebrugge and Tilbury again. Each with a capacity of 4,100 TEU, 10 new-buildings will be deployed on this service.