Alphaliner Newsletter no 03 - 2019 - Port of Nansha...2012-2019 8,500 teu 5,600 teu 4,000 teu 2,500...

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:INSIDE THIS ISSUE:INSIDE THIS ISSUE:INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Hong Kong slides in global port rankingsHong Kong slides in global port rankingsHong Kong slides in global port rankingsHong Kong slides in global port rankings 1111

Idle Fleet and Charter Market ReportIdle Fleet and Charter Market ReportIdle Fleet and Charter Market ReportIdle Fleet and Charter Market Report Idle fleet falls at start of new year Charter rates remain weak despite busy

market

3333

Service UpdatesService UpdatesService UpdatesService Updates Zim and 2M to expand cooperation Samskip closes Antwerp-UK service -

opts for slots on I-MOTION FESCO ESF ceases to operate ships in N.

Europe-Baltic trade - Maintains three loops through slots

GSL revises South China-Vietnam offer-ing

CONCOR commences India coastal service

PIL adds Itajai to Sino South America service

Seatrade launches new N.Europe-West Indies-Centram reefer cargo service

Seaboard upgrades frequency of Miami-Dominican Republic service

MSC resumes direct N. Europe-USEC-Ecuador service

CMA CGM-Marfret Europe-USEC-South Pacific service reverts to weekly

MSC revises Pacific Centram Feeder

9999

Deliveries/Vessel UpdatesDeliveries/Vessel UpdatesDeliveries/Vessel UpdatesDeliveries/Vessel Updates January deliveries Damaged 15,282 teu MAERSK HONAM

to resume trading later this year

12121212

Port and Terminal UpdatesPort and Terminal UpdatesPort and Terminal UpdatesPort and Terminal Updates DP World expands into Chile with

planned acquisition Revised shortlist for Douala Concession

16161616

Web: www.alphaliner.com | E-mail: [email protected] | Sales: [email protected]

ALPHALINER Weekly Newsletter

Volume 2019 Issue 03

09.01.2019 to 15.01.2019

Hong Kong terminal operators plan to form ‘Seaport Alliance’ as container throughput slips

Hongkong International Terminals (HIT), Modern Terminals (MTL), COSCO-HIT

Terminals (CHT) and Asia Container Terminals (ACT) on 8 January announced

the formation of the Hong Kong Seaport Alliance (HKSA), a joint operating

agreement aimed at combating the decline in container volumes.

The HKSA will jointly operate a total of 23 berths at Hong Kong’s Kwai Tsing

container terminals. Currently the Kwai Tsing facilities are run separately by HIT

(12 berths), MTL (7 berths), CHT (2 berths) and ACT (2 berths).

The four companies said the agreement was aimed at improving Hong Kong’s

competitiveness and stated that the plan was to commence joint operations

later this year. However, the move could be challenged by the Hong Kong Com-

petition Commission, which on 10 January announced that it initiated a formal

investigation of the agreement. The Commission stated that it would look into

the proposal to determine whether it contravened competition rules in Hong

Kong (see also side bar on page 21).

Hong Kong’s container throughput suffered another blow in 2018, with vol-

umes falling by 5.4% to 19.64 Mteu, based on preliminary figures posted on 15

January.

Throughput at Hong Kong has declined in seven out of the last ten years since

its peak of 24.49 Mteu in 2008. Hong Kong, which held the title of the world’s

busiest container port for 15 out of 18 years between 1987 and 2004, saw its

global ranking slip to number seven in 2018. Hong Kong’s volume decline was

the worst among the Top-15 ports last year, and the port’s weak performance

Table of the week Top 15 Container Ports : Change in Rankings 2000 vs 2018

ALPHALINER

Top 15 Container Ports Throughput in Mteu (Preliminary figures for 2018, based on Al-phaliner estimates)

20

18

20

17

20

16

20

15

20

14

20

13

20

12

20

11

20

10

20

09

20

08

20

07

20

06

20

05

20

04

20

03

20

02

20

01

20

00

1 Shanghai

2 Singapore

3 Ningbo

4 Shenzhen

5 Guangzhou

6 Busan

7 Hong Kong

8 Qingdao

9 LA/LB

10 Tianjin

11 Dubai

12 Rotterdam

13 Port Kelang

14 Antwerp

15 Xiamen

1 Hong Kong

2 Singapore

3 LA/LB

4 Kaohsiung

5 Busan

6 Rotterdam

7 Shanghai

8 Hamburg

9 Antwerp

10 Shenzhen

11 Port Kelang

12 Dubai

13 NY/NJ

14 Tokyo

15 Felixstowe

Rank in 2000 Rank in 2018

Qingdao Xiamen Ningbo

Guangzhou

Tianjin

Dropped out of Top 15 (2018 rank)

- Kaohsiung (16), Hamburg (18),

NY/NJ (21), Tokyo (31),

Felixstowe (43)

Port Name 2018 2017 % Change

Shanghai 42.01 40.23 4.4%

Singapore 36.60 33.67 8.7%

Ningbo 26.52 24.61 7.8%

Shenzhen 25.74 25.21 2.1%

Guangzhou 21.89 20.37 7.5%

Busan 21.67 20.49 5.7%

Hong Kong 19.64 20.76 -5.4%

Qingdao 19.30 18.30 5.5%

LA/LB 17.40 16.89 3.1%

Tianjin 16.02 15.07 6.3%

Dubai 14.94 15.37 -2.8%

Rotterdam 14.48 13.73 5.4%

Port Klang 12.03 11.98 0.4%

Antwerp 11.02 10.45 5.5%

Xiamen 10.60 10.38 2.1%


ALPHALINER WeeklyWeeklyWeeklyWeekly 2019 Issue 03

saw it falling behind rivals in Guangzhou for the first time in 2018,

thus dropping further behind Shenzhen which had already overtaken

Hong Kong in 2013.

The HKSA groups four out of the five terminal operators at the Kwai

Tsing container port complex. Together, these account for 79% of the

total container volumes handled at Hong Kong.

The fifth operator at Kwai Tsing, Goodman DP World, only manages a

single berth at and has been excluded from the alliance. The remain-

ing 21% of Hong Kong’s box throughput are handled at midstream

loading anchorages and at river trade terminals.

Top 12 carriers and number of calls at Hong Kong by terminal (Based on Alphaliner vessel call data in 4Q 2018)

The HKSA operators' joint press release stated that the planned col-

laboration was “in direct response to a rapidly changing business

environment”, mentioning the formation of new carrier alliances, car-

rier industry consolidation and the “dramatic increase in vessel size

over the last few years”.

However, Hong Kong’s Transport and Housing Bureau said it did not

receive prior notice of the formation of the HKSA and demanded the

parties involved “fully explain the operational details of the alliance

and maintain close communication with other industry stakeholders

before it starts operating”.

Hong Kong Container Throughput 2000-2018

0

5

10

15

20

25

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

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20

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20

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20

16

20

17

P2

01

8

Co

nta

ine

r th

rou

gh

pu

t in

Mte

u

Midstream/River Trade terminals

Kwai Tsing Container Terminals

Rank Operator

1 APM-Maersk

2 MSC

3 COSCO / OOCL

4 CMA CGM

5 Hapag-Lloyd

6 ONE

7 Evergreen

8 Yang Ming

9 PIL

10 HMM

11 Zim

12 Wan Hai

HIT

11

34

39

170

21

104

212

82

2

80

6

325

MTL

317

41

209

5

45

18

0

25

0

1

2

13

CHT

0

0

88

21

0

11

36

3

0

6

0

21

ACT

0

4

83

15

5

2

55

2

0

10

1

12

DPW

9

0

12

0

0

1

1

3

44

0

0

3

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

20

06

20

07

20

08

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

20

13

20

14

20

15

20

16

20

17

P2

01

8

Tra

nsh

ipm

en

t %

(La

de

n o

nly

)

ALPHALINER



Idle fleet falls at start of new year

The idle containership fleet fell slightly to 561,187 teu as at 7 Janu-

ary 2019, with healthy capacity utilisation on the Asia - Europe and

Transpacific routes over the year end keeping idle capacity in check.

The number of idle ships of over 12,500 teu dropped to only eight

units compared to 13 ships in December, due mainly to the return of

several vessels to active duty on the Asia - Europe route, involving

Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and Yang Ming tonnage. Also, the

confirmation from Maersk that the fire-stricken 15,282 teu MAERSK

HONAM will be sent to South Korea to be rebuilt, resulted in the ship

being removed from Alphaliner’s idle list (see page 19).

While vessel demand in January is expected to remain firm, it will fall

again in February as the Lunar New Year holidays in the Far East,

which start on 5 February this year, will put more ships out of work.

Carriers have already announced a higher than usual number of

blanked sailings in February this year on the Asia - Europe and trans-

pacific routes in anticipation of the weaker demand.

IDLE FLEET UPDATES

TEU RangeTEU RangeTEU RangeTEU Range Units Units Units Units

idleidleidleidle TrendTrendTrendTrend

of which, NOOof which, NOOof which, NOOof which, NOO

UnitsUnitsUnitsUnits %%%%

500-999 teu 26 23 88%

1,000-1,999 81 72 89%

2,000-2,999 33 29 88%

3,000-5,099 41 33 80%

5,100-7,499 3 1 33%

7,500-12,499 3 2 67%

12,500 & over 8 0 0%

Total units idle 195 160 82%

Total TEU idleTotal TEU idleTotal TEU idleTotal TEU idle 561,187 361,641 64%

Idle TEU as % of Idle TEU as % of Idle TEU as % of Idle TEU as % of

total fleettotal fleettotal fleettotal fleet 2.5%

Idle containerships > 500 TEU As at 7 January 2019 Breakdown by Size Range

0

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60

70

80

90

Nu

mb

er

of

ship

s id

le

TEU Size Range

Idle ships distribution

as at 7 January 2019

NOO & other in limbo

NOO vessels laid up

NOO vessels spot

NOO vessels with employment secured

Carrier controlled (owned & chartered)

ALPHALINER

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

20

14

Ja

n

Jul

20

15

Ja

n

Ju

l

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16

Ja

n

Jul

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17

Ja

n

Jul

20

18

Ja

n

Jul

20

19

Ja

n

Idle

Ve

sse

l Co

un

t

Idle containership

(units idle breakdown by size range)

500-999

1,000-1,999

2,000-2,999

3,000-5,099

5,100-7,499

> 7,500

Size (teu)

ALPHALINER

ALPHALINER

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

20

09

20

10

20

11

20

12

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15

20

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20

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20

18

20

19

Idle

fle

et

as

% o

f to

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fle

et

Idle

ca

pa

city

in

TE

U

Idle containership capacity as % of total fleet

Total Idle TEU

Idle fleet as % of total fleet



CHARTER MARKET

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

20

12

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19

Ch

art

er

Ra

te $

/day

Alphaliner Charter Rates

2012-2019

8,500 teu

5,600 teu

4,000 teu

2,500 teu

1,700 teu

1,000 teu

ALPHALINER

Daily Charter Rates Daily Charter Rates Daily Charter Rates Daily Charter Rates

bybybyby TEU SizeTEU SizeTEU SizeTEU Size

Jan 19Jan 19Jan 19Jan 19

$/day$/day$/day$/day

8,500 teu 15,000

5,600 teu 9,500

4,000 teu (Panamax) 9,400

2,500 teu 9,250

1,700 teu 7,200

1,000 teu 6,100

Dec 18Dec 18Dec 18Dec 18

$/day$/day$/day$/day

13,000

10,000

9,500

9,500

7,500

6,300

Charter rates remain weak despite busy market

After a quiet December, the container charter market has turned out

to be busier than anticipated at the turn of the year.

However, this rally has been generally insufficient to lift charter rates,

which remain disappointing for most vessel sizes, except for the lar-

ger and higher-end units.

The supply of tonnage continues to be relatively low in the bigger

sizes (5,500 teu and over) but overcapacity remains substantial in

the classic panamax sector and for tonnage between 1,000-and

2,900 teu. The 1,500-1,900 teu segment in particular, continues to

suffer, with 25 ships currently in spot position.

The market outlook is mixed. In the short term, the upcoming Chi-

nese New Year at the beginning of February is likely to slow the de-

mand for tonnage, which will not help to absorb redundant capaci-

ties, especially in the small and medium sizes.

Activity is nonetheless expected to pick up again afterwards, with the

volume of business slowly gaining momentum as the market ap-

proaches the traditionally busy months of March and April.

High backstage activity in the VLCS segment

The VLCS segment (7,500-13,000 teu) has been awash of

‘backstage’ deals, concerning mostly neo-panamax units of 13,000-

14,000 teu.

Several such vessels are understood to have been fixed or extended

for long term employments, with some deals including provisions for

the installation of SOx scrubbers.

Two ships of 13,000 teu secured charter extensions of three years at

rates believed to be just under USD 40,000 per day. A slightly

smaller 11,000 teu vessel was also reported extended for period em-

ployment at undisclosed terms.

Activity in the ‘handy’ VLCS segment was meanwhile more limited,

with only one fixture reported, a ‘Hyundai 8500’ type accepting a

short term charter with MSC in Asia at USD 16,000 per day.

The supply of tonnage remains meantime low, with only two ships of

8,500 teu presently in spot position.

Activity up in the LCS segment

Activity was on the rise in the LCS segment (5,300-7,499 teu), but

this was not sufficient to lift charter rates which remain broadly sta-

ble, at low levels. The supply of tonnage is tight, with only two ships

of 5,500-6,600 teu in spot position.



CHARTER MARKET

Among the fixtures of interest, two German-controlled units of 6,700

teu are understood to have been fixed on bareboat charter to one of

the major carriers at undisclosed terms, a deal said to involve the

fitting of SOx scrubbers.

Also, in a rare move, PIL chartered out one of its ‘CS 6500’ types, the

KOTA CEMPAKA to KMTC for a few months’ employment at USD

10,000 per day.

Otherwise, Yang Ming extended the 5,990 teu E.R. DENMARK for a 1-

3 month charter at USD 9,250 per day.

LCS ‘wide-beam’ segment is sold out

Once again, the LCS ‘wide-beam’ segment is sold out with zero ves-

sel available on a spot basis and no ships coming up for employment

in the next four weeks.

This short supply environment should help boost charter rates, which

faltered in the last weeks of 2018, settling at around USD 12-13,000

per day, from highs of USD 18,000 in the early part of the year.

Overhang of tonnage still significant in Classic Panamax segment

The overhang of tonnage remains significant in the classic panamax

segment (4,000-5,299 teu) with 20 ships currently at anchor, most

of which in Asia, and a dozen more units expected to come up for

employment in the next four weeks.

Adding to this grim supply environment, the likely closure by ZIM of

its WCNA - Asia-East Med ‘ZMP’ service which employs 15 vessels of

4,200-5,500 teu, seven of which, on short term employment, face

redelivery by March-April, is a negative signal for this segment.

Meanwhile, classic panamaxes remained in good demand around

the new year, but the volume of business was insufficient to cut the

overhang of tonnage.

Charter rates remain on a weakening trend, especially for the ‘maxi’

units (5,000 teu) which are now getting fixed at around USD 7,000

per day in Asia. The Atlantic is returning slightly better figures, be-

tween USD 8,500 and USD 9,200 per day.

Charter rates for ‘handy’ panamaxes are also faltering, with fixtures

being concluded in Asia at USD 8,500 per day.

Higher activity for 3,000-3,800 teu units

Activity in the 3,000-3,800 teu segment was slightly on the rise, with

demand emerging both in Asia and in the Atlantic.

This was however insufficient to absorb redundant tonnage with

seven ships still looking for an employment. Asia is the most difficult

Spot ships 8 weeks records

Size (teu) 3 Dec 17 Dec 31 Dec 14 Jan

VLCS >7,500 1 1 0 2

LCS 4,500-7,500 1 2 1 2

Px 4,000-5,100 24 23 26 20

3,000-3,999 7 7 6 7

2,700-2,999 16 15 14 14

2,000-2,699 12 9 13 18

1,500-1,999 26 23 26 25

1,250-1,499 10 9 14 16

1,000-1,249 18 14 22 20

800-999 12 10 14 11

500-799 10 9 8 6

ALPHALINER

0

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Available NOO ships > 4,000 teu

VLCS 7,500-10,000 teu

LCS : 5,300-7,500 teu

Panamax : 4,000-5,300 teu

ALPHALINER

KOTA HARMUNI (1,088 teu) sold for scrap

Singapore-based PIL has sold for demolition the 1,088 teu KOTA HARMUNI, which was beached at Chittagong on 7 January.

The KOTA HARMUNI was built in 1997 by Japan’s Kanasashi Shipyard. She features a deadweight of 17,600 tons, a Loa of 159.50 metres and a beam of 25 metres. She is of gearless configuration.

The KOTA HARMUNI is one of twelve KOTA ‘H’ Class container feeder vessels, built for PIL be-tween 1996 and 2003. Designed in both geared and gearless version, these ships had been specifi-cally built for the Intra Asia trades. Some of them have later been used on South Pacific- related regional routes. The KOTA HARMUNI is the first vessel in the series to be sold for recycling



CHARTER MARKET

market at the moment, with six ships sitting open in this area, whilst

only one vessel is available in the Atlantic.

Against this backdrop, charter rates remain on a descending trend

although some ships seem to be getting fixed at slightly stronger fig-

ures than others.

In Asia, a ‘Shanghai 3500’ type was fixed for up to 12 months at USD

8,250 per day, a rate level that was also believed to have been ac-

cepted by an ‘STX 3500’ type in the Atlantic.

Meanwhile, a geared B-178 type was fixed in the Americas for 6

months at USD 9,500 per day.

Busy but overtonnaged 2,700-2,900 teu segment

The 2,700-2,900 teu segment has been busy of late, but remains

overtonnaged, with 14 ships currently in spot position, the vast ma-

jority of which in Asia, a challenging area, while only two vessels are

available in the Atlantic.

Ironically Asia has been busy recently with quite a number of employ-

ments hitting the market. However, most of them were for short dura-

tions, with employed vessels quick to re-join the pool of redundant

tonnage. This unsettled environment has put an ever greater pres-

sure on charter rates, which continue to weaken.

Illustrating this, ‘Mipo 2800s’ are now getting fixed in the mid USD

8,000 in Asia and ‘Thyssen 2500Ls’ are obtaining high USD 8,000.

In the Atlantic a geared 2,796 teu unit was fixed at USD 9,000 per

day. High-reefer tonnage continues to outperform with one unit of

2,700 teu with 900 reefers extended in the Americas at USD 13,000

per day.

Rates for fuel-efficient ‘Chittagong Max’ tonnage continue to also

hold relatively well, as illustrated by the extension of a ‘MARIC 2700’

in Asia at USD 12,950 per day.

Surplus of tonnage on the rise in 2,000-2,699 teu sizes

The overhang of tonnage continues to increase in the 2,000-2,699

teu sizes, with 18 ships now in spot position, versus 13 units in our

last count and nine units one month ago.

Most of these ships are available in Asia, with only four ships open in

the Atlantic & Americas regions.

It is a concern that not only conventional ships are hit by the lack of

demand, but also the higher-end units, with two ‘SDARI 2100’ and

one ‘SDARI 2400’ currently out of job in Asia.

0

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Ma

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Available NOO ships < 4,000 teu

3,000-3,900 teu 2,700-2,999 teu

2,000-2,700 teu 1,500-1,900 teu

1,000-1,250 teu

ALPHALINER

ADNOC buys GH MISTRAL (2,867 teu)

ADNOC Logistics & Services, controlled by Abu Dhabi’s Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has purchased the 2,867 teu GH MISTRAL from Danish investors at an unreported price.

The vessel has been renamed AL REEM-I under UAE flag. The ship has arrived in Port Rashid where she is getting prepared to join her new owner. It is unclear yet where ADNOC will use this vessel.

The GH MISTRAL was built in 2006 by South Ko-rea’s STX Shipyard in Chinhae and delivered as HS COOK, originally for German owner Hansa Shipping GmbH.

She features a deadweight of 38,600 tons, a Loa of 212.80 metres and a beam of 32.20 metres. She is fitted with 500 reefer plugs. She is part of the ‘STX 2800’ series, of which seven ships were built be-tween 2006 and 2008.

ADNOC’s container shipping activities currently consist in an Abu Dhabi shuttle service connecting Khalifa Seaport to Ruwais, using four vessels of 1,000-1,400 teu.

Two of the ships deployed, the 1,060 teu AL BAZM-II and AL SADR-I belong to ADNOC, whilst the other two vessels, the 1,440 teu sisters CAPTAIN KATTELMAN and SIMA SAHBA (Hegemann 1400) are on time charter from Dubai-based Simatech.



CHARTER MARKET

Despite this bleak environment, charter rates remain broadly stable.

Conventional units of 2,500 teu remain fixable at around USD 9,500

per day.

High-reefer units meanwhile continue to command substantial premi-

ums, as illustrated by the fixture of a 600 reefer ‘STX 2600’ type in

the Atlantic, at nearly USD 13,000 per day for a 24 month-charter.

Pool of spot ships remains high in 1,500-1,900 teu segment.

The pool of spot ships remains high in the 1,500-1,900 teu segment,

with 25 vessels currently in search of an employment.

The lack of demand is affecting all trading areas, although Asia ispar-

ticularly suffering with twenty ships sitting open there, among which

three ‘B-170s’ and a dozen conventional ‘Wenchong 1700s’.

Tonnage is also building up (again) in the Atlantic with five ships

seeking a new ‘home’ in this area. Against this bleak environment,

charter rates continue to weaken. Illustrating this, the conventional

‘Wenchong 1700’ type is now getting fixed at USD 7,000

in Asia. High-end, fuel efficient ‘Bangkok Max’ tonnage of 1,700 teu

is also losing strength, with fixtures now being concluded in the high

USD 10,000 per day, versus USD 11,000+ until recently.

Little activity for 1,250-1,499 teu tonnage

The 1,250-1,499 teu segment remains characterized by a low level

of activity, especially in Asia where conditions for owners are chal-

lenging.

This low volume of business is putting more ships out of work, with

16 vessels (of which 11 in Asia) now in search of an employment,

versus 14 units in our last count. Despite this unfavourable context,

charter rates remain relatively resilient. In Asia, an ‘Hegemann 1400’

was extended for period charter at USD 7,250 per day versus USD

7,350 obtained by a sister unit on an earlier fixture.

In the Atlantic a ‘Weihai 1300’ was meanwhile fixed at USD 6,700 for

trading between NW Europe and the Baltic. A sister was fixed earlier

in Asia at USD 6,500 per day.

Tonnage overhang significant in 1,000-1,29 teu sizes

The overhang of tonnage in the 1,000-1,249 teu sizes remains sig-

nificant, with 20 ships currently in spot position, versus 22 units in

our last count. Most of the unemployed vessels are sitting in Asia, a

difficult area for owners, while only three vessels are available in the

Atlantic.

The lack of demand in Asia is affecting all ship types, including fuel-

efficient tonnage, with one ‘Dae Sun 1000’ currently in spot position.

Evergreen scraps older tonnage

Evergreen is getting rid of older tonnage as it braces for the renewal of its fleet. It has recently sold for demolition two of its own ships, the 5,364 teu, EVER ULTRA and the 1,164 teu, EVER ABLE.

The EVER ULTRA was built in 1996 by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. She is the oldest ves-sel in a series of 18 identical ships, the Evergreen ‘U’ Class built for Evergreen between 1996 and 2001. She is the first vessel in this series to be sold for recycling. The sisters EVER UNITED and EVER UNISON, also built in 1996, could be the next to be sold. The EVER ULTRA features a deadweight of 63,000 tons, a Loa of 285 metres and a beam of 40 metres.

The EVER ABLE was meanwhile built by Japan’s Evergreen H.I yard in Nagasaki in 1996. She is the lead ship in a series of 14 identical vessels, the Evergreen ‘A’ Class built for Evergreen between 1996 and 1999 for deployment on Intra Asia routes. She is the first ship in this series to be sold for recy-cling. The EVER ABLE features a deadweight of 15,600 tons, a Loa of 165 metres and a beam of 27.10 metres.

These sales for demolition are part of Evergreen’s fleet replacement program, which includes a size-able orderbook, the largest in the industry, currently comprising a total of 71 ships, of which five vessels of 20,000 teu, 20 ships of 11,800-12,000 teu, 18 ships of 2,500-2,900 teu and 28 ships of 1,800-1,900 teu. All these ships are due for delivery by the end of 2021.

Our photo, from about ten years ago, shows the 5,364 teu EVER ULTRA upon arrival at Hamburg, At the time, ships of her size were standard vessels on Far East - Europe mainline services.

photo: J. Tiedemann



CHARTER MARKET

Despite this bleak environment, charter rates remain generally sta-

ble.

In Asia, conventional ‘CV 1100’ tonnage is still fixing in the low USD

6,000 per day. In the Atlantic, a geared ‘CV 1100’ was extended for a

period charter involving Cuba trading at a rate believed to be around

USD 7,000 per day.

Fuel-efficient tonnage such as ‘Dae Sun 1000’ types remains mean-

while fixable in the high USD 7,000 in Asia for short to medium term

period charters.

More requirements and fewer available ships under 1,000 teu

Activity under 1,000 teu has been respectable in recent times, espe-

cially in the Atlantic, which is again the most dynamic trading area for

this segment.

A number of charter enquiries, sometime for relatively long period

employments, have hit the market. This volume of business has how-

ever not really pushed up charter rates, but has helped reduce the

overhang of tonnage. According to Alphaliner, 11 ships of 800-999

teu are now in spot position, versus 14 units in our last count.

Between 500 and 799 teu, six ships are now in search of an employ-

ment, versus eight units in our last count.

CNP name disappears from ship hulls

Peru’s Consorcio Naviero Peruano SA (CNP) has sold for demolition the only two ships in its small fleet of container vessels, the 1,131 teu CNP ILO (VW 1100) and the 1,730 teu CNP PAITA (B-170). The ships were lately deployed on WCSA, mainly trading between Peru and Ecuador. They have been replaced on this route by a chartered vessel, the 1,728 teu CERINTHUS (Wenchong 1700)

The CNP ILO, former JADE TRADER, ‘VW 1100’ type, had been acquired by CNP in 2011 from Ger-man owner Hermann Buss. The vessel was built by Germany’s Volkswerft Shipyard in Stralsund in 1995. She features a deadweight of 14,700 tons, a Loa of 157 metres and a beam of 23.50 metres. She is fitted with two cranes of 45 tons.

The CNP PAITA, former DOROTHEA RICKMERS, ‘B-170’ type, had been acquired by CNP in 2013 from German owner Rickmers Reederei. She was built in 1998 by Poland’s Stocznia Szczecinka Ship-yard. She features a deadweight of 22,900 tons, a Loa of 184 metres and a beam of 25.30 metres. She is fitted with three cranes of 40 tons.

With these disposals, CNP, will, for now at least, no longer have any container vessels carrying its own colours.

CNP was founded in 1959. It used to operate deep sea liner services but turned its focus to the WCSA trade in recent years. CNP is jointly controlled by Peru’s Romero Group and Hapag-Lloyd, which holds 47.93% of CNP. The Hapag-Lloyd participa-tion in CNP was inherited fromCSAV, after the German and Chilean carriers agreed to combine their container shipping activities in 2014.



Zim and 2M to expand cooperation

After having concluded a first strategic cooperation agreement for

the Asia - US East Coast trade in July 2018, Zim and the 2M partners

Maersk and MSC will extend this cooperation to the Transpacific

North West and Asia - East Med routes from March 2019, subject to

regulatory approvals.

Zim will purchase slots on the ‘AE-12/Phoenix’ and ‘AE-15/Tiger’ ser-

vices connecting Asia and the East Mediterranean, while also joining

the ‘TP-9/Maple’ service between Asia and the US/Canada West

Coast as a VSA partner and operate four out of the seven vessels on

that service. Zim will also take slots on the ‘TP-8/Orient’.

These moves will result in the withdrawal of Zim’s existing Med - Asia

- US West Coast ‘Zim Med Pacific’ (ZMP) service, which is currently

run with 14 classic panamax ships of 4,250-5,100 teu and one

5,900 teu unit. Some of the classic panamax ships will be redeliv-

ered by Zim, dealing a further blow to the beleaguered panamax sec-

tor.

Overall trade capacity is expected to remain largely unchanged, with

the 2M services to be upsized to accommodate the Zim volumes.

The details of the 2M/Zim services stand as below :

Transpacific North West

The existing 2M Far East-USWC ‘TP-9/Maple’ service will be operated

as a VSA loop where Zim will contribute four of the seven vessels,

with the current 6,600-9,600 teu ships expected to be replaced by

larger tonnage. The service will continue to turn in seven weeks, call-

ing at Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Van-

couver, Seattle, Yokohama, Busan, Kaohsiung. Zim will brand the

service as ‘Zim Pacific Pollux’ (ZP9).

In exchange for the slots filled by 2M on the Zim ships in the ‘TP-9/

Maple/ZP9’ service, Zim will receive slots on the 2M ‘TP-8/Orient’

service, which will continue to be fully operated by Maersk and MSC.

This service will be branded by Zim as ‘Zim Pacific Procyon’ (ZP8) and

will continue to turn in seven weeks calling at Xingang, Qingdao,

Shanghai, Busan, Yokohama, Prince Rupert, Xingang, with some of

the seven 11,000-13,500 teu ships expected to be upsized.

Asia – East Med

Zim will get access to slots of the revised 2M Asia-Med ‘AE-12/

Phoenix’ service which will be launched in March following the split of

the current pendulum pattern combining the ‘AE-12/Phoenix’ service

and the Far East-USWC ‘TP-2/Jaguar’ service. Zim’s slots in the Med

SERVICE UPDATES

2M/Zim : TP-9/Maple/ZP9 Service Details

TP-9/Maple/ZP9

Vessels Deployed:

7 x 6,600-9,600 teu

(to be upgraded in Mar)

Port Rotation

Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Yantian, Ningbo,

Shanghai, Busan, Vancouver, Seattle, Yo-

kohama, Busan, Kaohsiung

2M/Zim : TP-8/Orient/ZP8 Service Details

TP-8/Orient/ZP8

Vessels Deployed:

7 x 11,000-13,500 teu

(to be upgraded in Mar)

Port Rotation

Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Busan, Yoko-

hama, Prince Rupert, Xingang



will be limited to Port Said East and Haifa for this Asia-Med loop also

covering the Adriatic. Zim will brand this connection as ‘Zim Sirius

Line’ (ZAS). The Asian part of the rotation covers Singapore, Xingang,

Dalian, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore. The existing

13,000-13,500 teu ships on the service are expected to be upsized.

The new ‘Zim Spica Line’ (ZMS) is based on slots on the current 2M

Asia-East Med ‘AE-15/Tiger’ service operated with ten 13,000-

15,300 teu ships. Its revised rotation as from March reads : Yarimca,

Ambarli, Tekirdag, Piraeus, King Abdullah, Jebel Ali, Singapore, She-

kou, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Port Said East,

Yarimca. Zim will not participate in the eastbound calls at King Abdul-

lah and Jebel Ali.

Once the 2M partnership is in place, Zim will close its existing Med-

Asia-US West Coast ‘ZMP’ service, which calls at Ashdod, Haifa, Am-

barli, Novorossiysk, Odessa, Ambarli, Haifa, Colombo, Port Kelang,

Cai Mep, Dachan Bay, Yantian, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan,

Vancouver, Busan, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Dachan Bay, Port Ke-

lang, Ashdod. As the ‘ZMP’ also has direct calls at Ashdod and the

Black Sea ports of Novorossisk and Odessa, Zim has announced the

set up of a new array of feeder lines to be synchronized with the

mainline calls. Details of the new regional network will be issued

separately.

The expansion of the Zim/2M agreement means that the three carri-

ers strengthen their cooperation on two major East West trades.

There is however no agreement for the Asia-North Europe trade as

Zim is no longer active there. On the Transatlantic trade Zim is coop-

erating with Hapag-Lloyd and its partners of THE Alliance for Med-US

East Coast services.

Samskip closes Antwerp-UK service and opts for slots on I-MOTION

Samskip has closed its weekly service connecting Antwerp and

Vlissingen with Hull and Sheerness. Samskip had launched the ser-

vice in October 2018, initially as an Antwerp-Hull shuttle and then

extended it to Vlissingen and Sheerness. The last sailing was offered

from Antwerp on 18 December. The loop was ensured with the char-

tered 509 teu BF CARTAGENA, redelivered to her owners at the end

of December.

The multimodal carrier continues to provide its Belgian, French and

UK clients with a direct Belgium - Hull link offered through slots on

the Ghent - Hull service launched at the end of May 2018 by the new

Belgian short-sea operator I-MOTION Shipping. This short-sea service

offers three sailings per week and direction using the 340 teu MA-

RUS.

SERVICE UPDATES

Samskip : Ghent-Hull Service Details

Ghent-Hull service

Vessels Deployed:

Slots on I-MOTION

Port Rotation

Ghent, Hull, Ghent

2M/Zim : AE-12/Phoenix/ZAS Service

AE-12/Phoenix/ZAS

Vessels Deployed:

10 x TBN

Port Rotation

Port Said East, Haifa, Koper, Trieste, Ri-

jeka, Trieste, Port Said, King Abdullah,

Salalah, Singapore, Xingang, Dalian, Bu-

san, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singa-

pore, Port Said East

(Zim does not participate on Koper, Tri-

este, Rijeka, Trieste, Port Said, King Ab-

dullah, Salalah)

2M/Zim : AE-15/Tiger/ZMS Service De-

AE-15/Tiger/ZMS

Vessels Deployed:

10 x 13,000-15,300 teu

Port Rotation

Yarimca, Ambarli, Tekirdag, Piraeus, King

Abdullah, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Shekou,

Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singa-

pore, Port Said East, Yarimca

(Zim does not participate on King Abdul-

lah and Jebel Ali)



FESCO ESF ceases to operate ships in North Europe-Baltic trade - Maintains three loops through slots

FESCO ESF (the European branch of Russian Transportation com-

pany Far Eastern Shipping Co) has redelivered the 1,856 teu VIONA

to the ship’s owners at the end of December. The vessel was de-

ployed in a Netherlands - Russia service jointly operated with CMA

CGM, to which the French carrier provided the 2,487 CMA CGM

LOUGA under the branding ‘French Baltic Loop B’. The VIONA was the

last ship still operated by the Russian carrier in the North Europe-

Baltic trade, which FESCO ESF will continue to cover through slots.

The ‘French Baltic Loop B’ will now be merged with the Unifeeder Rot-

terdam - St Petersburg 'Loop B' into a new CMA CGM - Unifeeder joint

service calling at Rotterdam, St Petersburg (FCT + A4 + Bronka), Rot-

terdam. It will turn in two weeks with the CMA CGM LOUGA joined by

the 1,436 teu AKERDIJK, provided by Unifeeder. Of note, CMA CGM

was already slotting on the existing Unifeeder ‘Loop B’, branding it as

its ‘French Baltic Loop E’.

FESCO ESF will continue to maintain three weekly services between

North Europe and St Petersburg through slots on three services oper-

ated respectively by CMA CGM, by X-Press Feeders and by Unifeeder.

Another change in the North Europe - Baltic fleet of CMA CGM will

involve the introduction of the 1,380 teu LNG-powered newbuilding

CONTAINERSHIPS NORD in the Benelux - Russia ‘French Baltic Loop

A’.

This service turns in two weeks calling at Rotterdam (RWG + Euro-

max + Uniport), Antwerp, St Petersburg (Bronka + FCT + CTSP), Rot-

terdam. The CONTAINERSHIPS NORD will join the 1,924 DELPHIS

FINLAND (CMA CGM charter).

The CONTAINERSHIPS NORD was taken in charge in December in

China from Guangzhou Wenchong Shipyard of China by Finnish car-

rier Containerships PLC, part of the CMA CGM Group.

The vessel has been sublet to CMA CGM and should start sailing in

the Baltic network of Containerships PLC when more sister ships will

have been delivered.

After a positioning trip from Asia to the West Med, the newbuilding is

to join the Russia - North West Europe - Morocco service ‘New Dunk-

rus’, operated by MacAndrews (CMA CGM) for one northbound trip,

before joining the ‘French Baltic Loop A’ on 23 January in Rotterdam.

SERVICE UPDATES

FESCO ESF : N. Europe-St Petersburg

Services Details

N. Europe-St Petersburg Services

Vessels Deployed:

Loop 1 : Slots on CMA CGM

Loop 2 : Slots on X-Press Feeders

Loop 3 : Slots on Unifeeder

Port Rotation

Loop 1 : Rotterdam, Antwerp, St Peters-

burg, Rotterdam

Loop 2 : Rotterdam, St Petersburg, Rot-

terdam

Loop 3 : Hamburg, St Petersburg, Ham-

burg

CMA CGM : French-Baltic Loops A & B

Services Details

French-Baltic Line FBLS : Loops A & B

Vessels Deployed:

Loop A : 2 x 1,400-1,900 teu

Loop B : 2 x 1,400-2,500 teu (with

Unifeeder)

Port Rotation

Loop A : Rotterdam, Antwerp, St Peters-

burg, Rotterdam

Loop B : Rotterdam, St Petersburg, Rot-

terdam



GSL revises South China - Vietnam offering

Gold Star Line (GSL) will revise its direct offering between South

China and Vietnam through the introduction of a weekly service

branded ‘Haiphong Express 3’ (HX3) that will be ensured through co-

loading on a new ‘VH3’ service operated by Vietnamese carrier Bien

Dong Shipping (a subsidiary of Vinalines group).

This 'VH3/HSX3' service will connect Dachan Bay, Hong Kong (3 ter-

minals – MIT, HIT, CMCS), Haiphong, Cai Mep, Ho Chi Minh City,

Haiphong, Qinzhou, Dachan Bay. It will encompass the current Hong

Kong-Haiphong ‘VH3’ shuttle ensured by Bien Dong with its 1,016

teu BIEN DONG NAVIGATOR.

The new 'VH3' will turn in two weeks using two ships, the 1,016 teu

BIEN DONG NAVIGATOR and the 1,118 teu VINALINES DIAMOND

(which is chartered out to GSL) that is currently employed in the do-

mestic Vietnam trade. The extension will take effect starting on 15

January from Hong Kong, which coincides with GSL first effective sail-

ing on the service. ONE, a current slot taker and main backer of

feeder volumes on the current 'VH3' shuttle, is expected to extend its

participation to the new range of ports.

The new ‘HX3’ will replace GSL's current ‘HX2’ service that covers a

similar rotation with the exception of Southern Vietnam calls, en-

sured through slots on the ‘VQX’ service jointly operated by X-Press

Feeders and Haian Transport. GSL last ‘HX2’ sailing is scheduled on

12 January from Dachan Bay on the HAIAN SONG.

CONCOR commences India coastal service

Container Corporation of India (CONCOR), a state-run provider of

inland transport by rail for containers, has inaugurated its entry into

the India coastal shipping business. The maiden voyage occurred on

10 January from Kandla with the 1,613 teu SSL MUMBAI, an Indian-

flagged containership chartered from Shreyas Shipping by CONCOR

partners.

The new coastal service connects Kandla, Mangalore, Cochin and

Tuticorin on a weekly basis. It turns in two weeks with two dedicated

ships, each with a minimum capacity of 700 loaded containers

based on CONCOR requirements, with the second ship yet to be

named. The service accepts loaded/empty containers and breakbulk

cargoes. In addition, CONCOR will provide first and last mile connec-

tivity using its extensive rail and road network.

CONCOR, which operates a nationwide inland transport railway net-

work for containers, has been planning its entry into India coastal

shipping business since the middle of last year by teaming up with an

SERVICE UPDATES

Bien Dong/GSL : VH3/HX3 Service

Details

VH3/HX3

Vessels Deployed:

2 x 1,000-1,100 teu

Port Rotation

Dachan Bay, Hong Kong, Haiphong, Cai

Mep, Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Qin-

zhou, Dachan Bay.

CONCOR : India Coastal Service Details

India Coastal Service

Vessels Deployed:

2 x 1,600 teu

Port Rotation

Kandla, Mangalore, Cochin, Tuticorin,

Kandla



existing player in the industry. It went through three rounds of tender

until it finally reach into and agreement and entered into a 10 year

contract with Vishwa Samudera Coastal Line, a joint venture between

Seaport Cargo Logistic, a unit of CVR Group that runs Krishnapatnam

Port and VM Logistic, based in Hyderabad.

This move is in line with the Indian government directions to alleviate

congestion in its rail and road network.

PIL adds Itajai to Sino South America service

PIL has announced the addition of a new call at Itajai on its Far East-

ECSA 'Sino South America' (SSA) service effective from late January.

The first sailing to Itajai from Asia is planned on 31 January from

Qingdao on the 4,330 teu KOTA LESTARI.

The SSA will henceforth call at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou ,

Singapore, Sepetiba, Santos, Paranagua, Itapoa, Itajai, Navegantes,

Santos, Singapore, Shanghai, Qingdao. CMA CGM takes slots on this

service, branding it 'SEAS2'. It turns in eleven weeks with up to

eleven ships of 4,250-4,330 teu (some sailings are skipped cur-

rently).

Seatrade launches new North Europe - West Indies-Centram reefer cargo service

Specialized reefer carrier Seatrade is launching this month a North

Europe - West Indies-Central America reefer service, branded

‘Zodiac’, operated with five reefer cargo vessels offering 13,150-

16,500 cubic meters of underdeck reefer volume and fitted with 46

to 185 plugs for 40 ft reefer boxes (92 to 370 teu) on deck. The mul-

tipurpose reefer service will carry fruits from Colombia, Costa Rica,

Honduras and Guatemala to North Europe and will focus on the

French West Indies on the return trip to Central America.

The launch of the ‘Zodiac’ service is related to the transformation of

the former ‘Blue Stream’ multipurpose reefer cargo service of Sea-

trade and its container arm StreamLines into a fruit-oriented full con-

tainer joint service with Hapag-Lloyd this month. The new ‘Zodiac’

service will serve in particular Puerto Barrios, Radicatel, Fort de

France and Pointe à Pitre, which were covered by the former ‘Blue

Stream’ reefer cargo service, but which are not included in the rota-

tion of the five 2,100-2,500 teu cellular ships deployed in the new

joint ‘Blue Stream/CES’ service with Hapag-Lloyd.

The ‘Zodiac’ service will turn in five weeks calling at Portsmouth,

Vlissingen, Radicatel, Fort de France, Pointe à Pitre, Turbo, Moin

(near Puerto Limon), Puerto Cortes, Puerto Barrios, Portsmouth. Of

note, the former UK and Dutch calls at Tilbury and Rotterdam of the

SERVICE UPDATES

Seatrade/StreamLines : ZodiacService

Details

N Europe-West Indies-Centram Service

Vessels Deployed:

5 x 13,000-16,500 cbm reefer cargo ships

Port Rotation

Portsmouth, Vlissingen, Radicatel, Fort de

France, Pointe à Pitre, Turbo, Moin,

Puerto Cortes, Puerto Barrios, Ports-

PIL : SSA Service Details

Sino South America

Vessels Deployed:

11 x 4,250-4,330 teu

Port Rotation

Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou , Sin-

gapore, Sepetiba, Santos, Paranagua, Ita-

poa, Itajai, Navegantes, Santos, Singa-

pore, Shanghai, Qingdao



‘Blue Stream’ reefer cargo service are now transferred to Portsmouth

and Vlissingen for the ‘Zodiac’ reefer cargo service. The service also

offers a new direct Puerto Cortes-North Europe connection.

Seaboard upgrades frequency of Miami - Dominican Republic service

Effective this week, US carrier Seaboard Marine is increasing the fre-

quency of its Miami - Dominican Republic service from weekly to

twice weekly, with the addition of a second vessel to the service, join-

ing the 1,114 teu SEABOARD RANGER.

Seaboard Marine chartered the 966 teu AS LAGUNA for this purpose,

although the first sailing from Miami on 10 January was ensured by

the smaller 523 teu KATHARINA B, acting as a substitute to the AS

LAGUNA, diverted at last minute to fill a gap on another Seaboard

service. The AS LAGUNA is then expected to join the Miami-

Dominican Republic service on 24 January, according to the carrier’s

current plans.

Seaboard’s Miami-Dominican Republic service calls at Miami, Rio

Haina, Puerto Plata, Miami. Seaboard Marine said the new service

enhancement and upgraded transit time will give importers and ex-

porters in South Florida and the Dominican Republic reliable weekly

options for their cargo needs.

MSC resumes direct N. Europe - USEC-Ecuador service

MSC is offering a direct Ecuador - North Europe connection again as

from mid January 2019 by extending its Transatlantic Europe - USEC

service to Ecuador and Peru, thus reverting to a North Europe - USEC

- WCSA pattern which was already followed from December 2017 to

September 2018 and was first offered from October 2011 to May

2017 with an established triangular service.

The extended service is banana/fruit oriented and caters for both the

USEC and North Europe markets. It encompasses the Balboa - Ecua-

dor feeder service, that focuses on banana and fruit shipments from

Guayaquil and Puerto Bolivar, as well as the reefer-oriented Panama-

Peru service linking Balboa with Paita.

The Transatlantic service, which was still marketed as ‘Ecuador to

NWC’ service despite no longer calling in Ecuador, will retain the

same brand name in the new extended version, which turns in seven

weeks with seven 4,112 teu ships of the ‘Albatros’-type fitted with

1,300 reefer plugs (including the two units that plied do far the Bal-

boa-Ecuador feeder service).

It calls at Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Boston, New York

SERVICE UPDATES

Seaboard : Miami-Dominican Republic

Service Details

Miami-Dominican Republic service

Vessels Deployed:

2 x 960-1,100 teu

Port Rotation

Miami, Rio Haina, Puerto Plata, Miami

MSC :Ecuador to NWC Service Details

Ecuador to NWC service

Vessels Deployed:

7 x 4,100 teu

Port Rotation (TBC)

Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Bos-

ton, New York (Newark), Philadelphia,

Freeport (Bah) …(Pan Canal)… Guayaquil,

Puerto Bolivar (Ecu), Guayaquil, Paita …

(Pan Canal)… Cristobal, Antwerp

The 'Albatros' class is a series of ten ships ordered in 2000 in Korea on behalf of P&O Nedlloyd (seven ships ordered at Samsung - long term chartered from German owner Claus Peter Offen - CPO) and by Contship (three ships ordered at Daewoo - owned by CP Ships, parent company of Contship). They were designed for the ANZ trade, with an exceptionally high reefer capac-ity (1,300 reefer plugs) and today fits well on the Ecuador banana trade.



(Newark), Philadelphia, Freeport (Bah) …(Pan Canal)… Guayaquil,

Puerto Bolivar (Ecu), Guayaquil, Paita …(Pan Canal)… Cristobal, Ant-

werp (rotation to be confirmed).

Of note, MSC serves the US ports of Boston and Philadelphia outside

its Transatlantic 2M Vessel Sharing Agreement with Maersk.

CMA CGM/Marfret Europe - USEC - South Pacific ser-vice reverts to weekly sailings

CMA CGM and Marfret are to revert to a weekly frequency on their

joint Europe-US East Coast-South Pacific pendulum service, after a

five months spell with a fortnightly frequency. CMA CGM brands this

service as ‘Panama Direct Line’ (PAD) and Marfret as ‘North Atlantic

South Pacific’ (NASP). The ‘PAD / NASP’ presently turns in 14 weeks

with seven ships of 2,250-2,550 teu.

The itinerary will remain mostly unchanged, covering London-

Gateway, Rotterdam, Dunkirk, Le Havre, New York (Red Hook), Sa-

vannah, Cartagena (Col) ...(Pan Canal)... Papeete, Noumea, Brisbane,

Sydney, Melbourne, Nelson, Tauranga ...(Pan Canal)... Manzanillo

(Pan), Savannah, Philadelphia, Zeebrugge (seasonal *), London-

Gateway. The weekly rotation will take effect in end February from

North Europe and from April in New Zealand, in time for the Kiwi fruit

export season (Zeebrugge is a main import gateway for Kiwi).

The service will then turn in 13 weeks with 13 ships of 2,250-2,500

teu fitted with with around 600 reefer plugs, of which twelve provided

by CMA CGM and one by Marfret.

The changes will also affect APL and ANL (both members of the CMA

CGM Group) as they co-load on the Europe - US leg and the Oceania -

US leg respectively. Of note, CMA CGM also maintains a weekly

Europe - ANZ connection with the ‘NEMO’ service, operated jointly

with Hapag-Lloyd and routed via the Suez Canal.

MSC revises Pacific Central America feeder service

MSC is revising its feeder services covering the Pacific coast of Cen-

tral America and of Mexico with an expanded service, branded 'New

Maya', hubbing at the Mexican port of Manzanillo and covering Ma-

zatlan, Guaymas, Acajutla, and Puerto Quetzal.

This dedicated feeder service turns in two weeks with two ships of

1,500-1,800 teu and encompasses the former Mexico 'Maya' feeder

service, covering Mazatlan and Guaymas.

SERVICE UPDATES

CMA CGM/Marfret Service Details

Europe - USEC - South Pacific

Vessels Deployed:

13 x 2,250-2,500

Port Rotation

London-Gateway, Rotterdam, Dunkirk, Le

Havre, New York (Red Hook), Savannah,

Cartagena (Col) ...(Pan Canal)... Papeete,

Noumea, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne,

Nelson, Tauranga ...(Pan Canal)... Man-

zanillo (Pan), Savannah, Philadelphia, Zee-

brugge (seasonal *), London-Gateway.

MSC Centram Feeder

Central America / Pacific Coast

Vessels Deployed:

2 x 1,500 - 1,800 tue

Port Rotation

Mazatlan, Guaymas, Acajutla, Puerto

Quetzal, Mazatlan



The EVER GRADE (20,388 teu) is delivered

Evergreen on 15 January received the 20,388 teu EVER GRADE, sixth

ship in a series of eleven ‘megamax’ vessels from Japan’s Imabari

Group. The vessel series was ordered October 2015 by Shoei Kisen,

the ship financing arm of Imabari, which had already concluded long-

term charters of the ships to Evergreen. In this series, the EVER

GRADE follows the EVER GIFTED, handed over in December.

Deliveries of the G-class ships began in March 2018 and the final

unit is currently scheduled to come on stream in September 2019.

The EVER GRADE will soon depart Japan and ballast to China, where

the ship is scheduled to join the OCEAN Alliance Asia - Europe loop

‘NEU6’ (Evergreen: 'CEM'). Operated entirely with Evergreen tonnage,

this service is currently being upgraded from a fleet of 14,000 teu

‘standard’ ULCS to ‘megamax’ ships of over 20,000 teu.

The new G-class vessels are Evergreen’s largest ships, with an Loa of

400.00 m and a breadth of 59.00 m (23 rows).

Powered by an 11-cylinder MAN-B&W G95ME main engine that is

rated at 59,250 kW (MCR), the ships can trade at commercial

speeds of up to 21 knots.

The COSCO SHIPPING PISCES (19,273 teu) is delivered

COSCO Shipping has received the 19,273 teu COSCO SHIPPING PI-

SCES, twelfth in the Chinese carrier’s 17-strong ’megamax’ newbuild-

ing program, which comprises three different vessel designs, built by

four Chinese yards.

Pre-merger COSCO Group in September 2015 initially ordered eleven

ships, while China Shipping Group followed with six orders in October

of that year. The COSCO units comprise a 19,273 teu type from

NACKS Shipyard at Nantong (four ships) and from DACKS Shipyard at

Dalian (two ships), as well as a 20,119 teu type from Shanghai Wai-

gaoqiao Shipyard (three ships) and Dalian Shipyard (two ships). All

six China Shipping vessels of 21,237 teu - originally earmarked for

CSCL - were ordered at Waigaoqiao.

As part of the COSCO-CSCL merger, ownership of the six CSCL hulls

DELIVERY/VESSEL UPDATES

Cellular Containership Deliveries January 2019

NameNameNameName TeuTeuTeuTeu OperatorOperatorOperatorOperator

MAASTRICHT MAERSK 20,568 Maersk

EVER GRADE 20,388 Evergreen

COSCO SHIPPING PISCES 19,273 COSCO

MAERSK HAVANA 15,282 Maersk

KOTA PURI 11,923 PIL

VILNIA MAERSK 3,596 Maersk

CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE 3,500 CMA CGM

MCC YANGON 2,806 Sealand Asia

TANTO SALAM 932 Tanto Intim

above: The new ‘megamax’ container vessel COSCO SHIPPING PISCES is an in-house design of the joint CO-SCO and Kawasaki yards NACKS (Nantong) and DACKS (Dalian).

photo: COSCO Heavy Industries



was thereafter transferred to COSCO Shipping Holdings in May 2017.

Originally scheduled for delivery in 2017 and 2018,the ships were

later deferred to 2018 (eleven units) and to this year, when the re-

maining vessels are slated to come on stream.

The COSCO SHIPPING PISCES was built by Dalian COSCO KHI Ship-

yard (DACKS). In COSCO’s ’megamax’ program, the ship follows the

21,237 teu COSCO SHIPPING NEBULA, built by Shanghai Waigaoqiao

Shipyard and delivered in October.

On 20 January, the new ship is scheduled to phase into the OCEAN

Alliance Far East - Europe service ‘NE3’. This loop is operated by CO-

SCO (branded ‘AEU7’) and Evergreen, with CMA CGM, APL, OOCL and

PIL taking slots.

The COSCO SHIPPING PISCES has an Loa of 400.00 m and a breadth

of 58.60 m (23 rows). The vessel is powered by an MAN-B&W S90ME

-C 11-cylinder diesel. This main engine is nominally rated at 67,100

kW, but de-rated to 54,950 kW for this ship.

The KOTA PURI (11,923 teu) is delivered

PIL this week received the KOTA PURI, penultimate vessel unit in a

newbuild-ing program of twelve 11,923 teu ships, contracted from

August to October 2015 at China’s Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.

The KOTA PURI follows the KOTA PETANI, delivered in November, and

she has since joined the China - USWC service operated by PIL and

COSCO under the respective brandings 'ACS' and 'AAC3'.

All ships of these series are funded by Chinese banks and investors,

who lease the vessels PIL. The final ship the series, KOTA PUSAKA, is

expected to be delivered in Q1 2019.

The KOTA-P class ships have an Loa of 330 m and a breadth of

48.20 m (19 rows). They are fitted with around 1,400 reefer plugs. A

Wärtsilä X92 eight-cylinder low speed engine, rated 49,040 kW MCR,

drives the ships at commercial speeds of up to22 knots.


25

10

20

19

14

18

23

18

23

18

13

12

15

13

16

9

17

12

8

7

9

9

11

8

15

7

14

16

10

13

15

12

17

9

14

11

28

6

18

18

21

10

18

11

10

9

7

9

9

2015 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2016 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2017 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

2018 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

*2019 Jan

TEU Delivered

Units Delivered

* Deliveries recorded month-to-date

Cellular Containership Deliveries By Month : 2015-2019

right: The KOTA PAH-LAWAN is an earlier sister of the new KOTA PURI. Our photo shows the ship during float-out at YZJ shipyard. photo: YZJ Shipyard



CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE (3,504 teu) delivered

CMA CGM has taken in charge the CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE, first

of four high-reefer capacity newbuildings advertised as 3,504 teu

vessels fitted with 850 reefer plugs. CMA CGM had contracted the

four vessels in May 2016 from COSCO Zhoushan Shipyard.

The new ships are aimed at replacing smaller tonnage on the long-

established North Europe - West Indies service ‘NEFWI’, that focuses

in particular on banana shipments from the French West Indies to

France and Belgium. Marfret and Maersk Line take slots on this loop.

The CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE is to depart China this weekend on

a positioning trip to Southampton, Rotterdam and Dunkirk, where

she is expected to arrive on 16 February.

Delivery of the CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE occurs a few weeks after

CMA CGM announced the extension until 2026 of its contract with

Union des Groupements de Producteurs de Bananes de Guadeloupe

& Martinique (UGPAN - French West Indies banana producers club)

for the transportation of bananas from Pointe à Pitre (Guadeloupe)

and Fort de France (Martinique) to France and the Benelux countries.

The new compact ship type has an Loa of 219 m and a breadth of

35.60 m (14 rows) with an Lbp to B ratio of 5.9. Thanks to their wide

beam, the ships achieve a summer deadweight of 38,500 tons on a

fairly shallow draft of 11.20 m.

CMA CGM’s new vessel series repurposes the traditional 'FORT' nam-

ing scheme applied to ships deployed on this service during the past

80 years by CMA CGM or its forerunner Cie Générale Transatlantique.

Within the next six months the CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE will thus

be followed by the sister vessels CMA CGM FORT ROYAL, CMA CGM

FORT SAINT CHARLES and CMA CGM FORT FLEUR D'EPEE.


The TANTO SALAM (932 teu) is delivered

Indonesian carrier Tanto Intim Line

has taken in charge the TANTO

SALAM, a 932 teu containership pur-

chased from the Ningbo Boda Ship-

yard, China.

The vessel has sailed from Ningbo to

Indonesia to join the Tanto Intim do-

mestic routes, which cover a dozen

Indonesian ports on a regular basis

out of Jakarta and of Surabaya.

The TANTO SALAM is the first a new

design of containerships from the

Ningbo Boda Shipyard, which built

during the past years numerous ves-

sels of up to 800 teu for Indonesian

domestic carriers Meratus Lines, Te-

mas Line and Tanto Intim.

The TANTO SALAM is 136.70 m long

for a 23.40 m breadth.

With an operated fleet of 36,200 teu,

Tanto Intim is among the four largest

Indonesian domestic containership

operators according to Alphaliner re-

cords, together with Salam Pacific,

Meratus Line and Temas Line, which

operate fleets with total capacities

ranging from 26,000 to 53,000 teu.

The new CMA CGM FORT DE FRANCE off Zhoushan.

photo: COSCO Zhoushan Shipyard



Damaged MAERSK HONAM to resume trading in 2019

Maersk Line this week announced that the fire-damaged 15,282 teu

vessel MAERSK HONAM will return to active service in the second

half of this year.

A fire accident had struck the ship in March 2018, when MAERSK

HONAM was underway in the Arabian Sea. The fire, which tragically

took the live of five crew members, destroyed the forward section of

the vessel, including its accommodation block, wheelhouse and part

of the cargo. The ship’s aft part, however, remained largely intact.

Maersk now disclosed that the damaged ship was cut in half at Dry-

dock World Dubai, to where the MAERSK HONAM had been towed

after the fire was extinguished. The carrier stated that the ship’s

damaged part will be scrapped and recycled, whereas the intact aft

hull, including the engine room, will be shipped to South Korea to be

rebuilt into a ‘new’ vessel. The transport job will be carried out by CO-

SCO Shipping’s semi-submersible carrier XIN GUANG HUA.

Hyundai Heavy Industries, the MAERSK HONAM’s original builder, will

therefore construct a completely new bow section and procure a new

deck house. In line with design changes implemented to later ships

of the Maersk H-class series, the MAERSK HONAM is expected to be

fitted with a new bow of a revised design.

Maersk’s H-class series covers eleven ships with deliveries from

2017 to 2019. Nine ships are currently in service, with two more

newbuildings scheduled for delivery in February and March. In addi-

tion to these, the re-delivery of the fire-damaged MAERSK HONAM

will see all eleven units of the type in active service later in 2019.


above: Computer rendering of the XIN

GUANG HUA. The picture predates the

COSCO-CSCL merger and the vessel still

sports the colours of standalone-COSCO.

illustration: COSCO

right: The COSCO-operated transport ship

XIN GUANG HUA and the fire-damaged

MAERSK HONAM, drawn to the same

scale. According to Maersk, the section

that is to be shipped to Korea has a

length of 228.50 m, almost as long as the

255.00 m dock ship, and longer that the

XIN GUANG HUA’s submersible deck.

illustration: Alphaliner ALPHALINER

After a serious fire aboard, Maersk Honam

was moved alongside for thorough in-

spections and discharge operations in the

Jebel Ali Port (UAE) in June 2018.

Maersk worked closely with the local au-

thorities, insurance companies, the sal-

vage company and other stakeholders to

prepare a safe and environmentally

friendly plan for clearing the vessel of all

damaged containers, debris and fire-

fighting water.

The former forward section will be safely

moored at Drydock World Dubai for con-

tinued removal of damaged containers

and debris. Once cleaned, it will be recy-

cled. In accordance with our Responsible

Ship Recycling Standard (RSRS), relevant

recycling options are currently being in-

vestigated and evaluated.

Maersk Statement, January 2019

the original and revised Maersk H-class

bows compared.



DP World expands into Chile with planned acquisition

World last week announced that it reached an agreement to acquire

a 71.3% stake in Puertos y Logistica S.A. (Pulogsa), a Chilean port

operator, with container and multipurpose cargo terminals at Lirquen

and San Antonio.

Pulogsa is currently owned by Minera Valparaíso and shareholders

linked to the family-controlled Matte Group. The company is listed on

the Santiago stock exchange and, according to a disclosure by DPW,

the acquisition will be effected via a tender offer to acquire all out-

standing shares of the business. DP World said it will offer USD

502M for 100% equity ownership, financed from the UAE-operator's

existing balance sheet resources. As of 30 September 2018, the last

date for which numbers are available, Pulogsa had net financial debt

of USD 226M.

The transaction is subject to relevant third party consents and is ex-

pected to close in the first half of 2019.

Pulogsa operates a long-term concession for Puerto Central (PCE),

one of two major container terminals in the port of San Antonio. Last

expanded in 2016, the facility has a 700 meter pier with seven large

ship-to-shore gantries and it boasts an annual capacity of 1.15 Mteu.

San Antonio, along with Valparaiso, is one of the two ports that serve

the capital region of Santiago de Chile. It is also one of the country's

main industrial centres.

In addition to PCE San Antonio, Pulogsa also operates the port of

Lirquen, in Chile's Biobio Region. Lirquen is part of a cluster of re-

gional ports, comprising also Peno, Talcahuano, San Vicente and

Coronel.

Compared to PCE, Pulogsa's Lirquen terminal is more focused on

multipurpose and bulk cargoes in addition to containers. As far as

liner services are concerned, Lirquen handles two large-capacity

mainline loops. It sees calls from the multicarrier Far East - WCSA

Loop 2 and from an MSC and ONE-operated Far East - WCSA service.

Smaller-scale regional services are offered by Ultramar and Hapag-

Lloyd.

Unlike the gantry-fitted PCE, the terminal at Lirquen operates with a

fleet of large mobile harbor cranes, arranged on two finger piers.

The planned acquisition of Pulogsa will be DP World's first foray into

the Chilean market.

The company's South American presence currently covers Buenos

PORT UPDATES

above: PCE is one of two container ter-minals at the port of San Antonio, Chile. It consists of a dedicated container pier, equipped with large ship-to-shore gantry cranes, and of an mpp– and roro part, where ships are handled with mobile harbour cranes. PCE is mainly used by MSC, CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd. Services handled at the pier include MSC's Europe-NCSA-WCSA loop, the joint Med-NCSA-WCSA loop of CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd and the joint 'Eurosal/ SWX / SAWC' of CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO. The terminal’s local competitors are the terminals at Valparaiso, as well as the neighbouring STI container terminal at San Antonio.

map: Alphaliner



Aires in Argentina (a concession which the operator might lose in the

near future), Santos in Brazil, Callao in Peru, and Paramaribo in Suri-

name. Additionally, DPW runs the Caucedo Terminal in the Domini-

can Republic, which can serve as a wayport between South America

and Europe/Med.

Revised shortlist for Douala Concession

Contrary to earlier reports, which claimed that four potential opera-

tors were shortlisted for the concession to run the Douala Interna-

tional Terminal (DIT), more recent information now suggests that the

final lineup of contestants actually looks different.

Crucially, the incumbent operators of DIT, a joint venture of APMT

and Bollore Group, are said to be no longer included.

Those still in the race are reported to be CMA Terminals (CMA CGM),

DP World, Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGW), Hutchison Ports, and

MSC-TIL. Only two of these, DPW and HPH, were mentioned in earlier

coverage. PSA, which was mentioned on the original shortlist, has

also disappeared from the lineup.

Formally disclosed earlier this week by the Douala Autonomous Port

(Port Autonome de Douala - PAD), the 2019 field of contestants now

appears to be final.

At this point, it remains unclear if and why PSA and DIT were dropped

or whether the companies withdrew voluntarily. Local sources how-

ever claim that the Cameroon Government decided to kick the two

out, while subbing in CMA CGM, RSGW and TIL.

For the CMA CGM Group, it is worth noting that the carrier is bidding

through CMA Terminals, a wholly-owned subsidiary. The Marseilles-

based shipping line's terminal portfolio comprises direct sharehold-

ings of CMA CGM, assets held through CMA Terminals, and assets

controlled by Terminal Link, a 51-49 joint venture between the

French and China Merchants.

DIT currently offers a 660 meter pier, equipped with two mid-sized

gantries and two mid-sized mobile harbour cranes. The terminal's

main users are CMA CGM, Maersk, MSC, Grimaldi Lines, Niledutch,

PIL, and Marguisa. Its largest callers are 4,500 teu ships of CMA

CGM's and Niledutch's North Europe - West Africa loop WEWA.

Douala used to be the only significant seaport in Cameroon until

2018, when the new green field deep-water terminal at Kribi came

on stream. Of note, Kribi is managed by a consortium of CMA CGM,

Bollore Group and CHEC under a 25-year lease.

PORT UPDATES

Proposed Hong Kong Port al-liance comes under scrutiny

Recently-announced plans to bring all but one of Hong-Kong's container termi-nals under a single umbrella have come under scrutiny of the Hong Kong Com-petition Commission. The city's anti-trust regulator said in a statement that it opened an investiga-tion into the matter. In particular, the commission is investi-gating whether the agreement may con-stitute a contravention of the First Con-duct Rule of the Competition Ordinance by preventing, restricting or distorting competition in Hong Kong. It said the probe is a matter of priority, but underlined that the launch of a 'formal investigation does not prejudge its outcome'. The proposed alliance is comprised of Hongkong International Terminals (HIT), Modern Terminals, COSCO-HIT Termi-nals, and Asia Container Terminals. Only the small Hong Kong terminal of DP World will not be part of the group. While clearly dominating the Hong Kong port with a market share of over 90%, the alliance members claim that the move was made to improve the port's standing against strong competi-tion from mainland China, principally from the rivalling Pearl River Delta ter-minals at Nansha, Guangzhou, Shekou, Chiwan, Dachan Bay and Yantian (which however also include many fa-cilities in which the operators are in-volved themselves). It is currently not known whether the Hong Kong Competition Commission became active by its own volition, or whether the regulator was called to ac-tion by a third party, such as an ocean carrier or a competing terminal opera-tor.

Alphaliner Newsletter no 03 - 2019 - Port of Nansha...2012-2019 8,500 teu 5,600 teu 4,000 teu 2,500...

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Transcript of Alphaliner Newsletter no 03 - 2019 - Port of Nansha...2012-2019 8,500 teu 5,600 teu 4,000 teu 2,500...