Container lines

If the negative portrayal by China’s state broadcaster of the proposed 2M tie-up between Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. this weekend has official backing, it could be an indication of internal political pressure to shield Cosco and China Shipping Container Lines from a stronger competitor.

A rise in traffic from Asia to Mediterranean ports has led to tight capacity and a substantial rise in spot prices.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association met for three days this past week without concluding negotiations; at the weekend, the parties announced a week-long recess in the talks. German carrier Hamburg Süd announced plans to acquire the container operations of Chile’s CCNI, in a move resembling the deal between larger competitor Hapag-Lloyd and Chile’s CSAV, and Crowley is reported to be in talks to acquire Horizon Lines’ Puerto Rico assets. Earnings reports by U.S. truckload carriers are pointing to a stronger freight recovery in the United States, though rail service continues to be held back. And on Friday, Anne S. Ferro announced her departure from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after five years leading the agency.

Evidence of volume growth in east-west container shipping markets was revealed in Orient Overseas Container Line’s most recent results.

Hamburg Süd has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire the container operations of the Valparaiso, Chile-based Compañía Chilena de Navegación Interoceánica, or CCNI, by Dec. 31, 2014.

Costamare’s revenue and net income grew in the second quarter as the Greek container shipowner boosted its fleet of chartered vessels.

The United States retained its status as Japan’s biggest export market in the first half of 2014 after defeating rival China by a narrow margin.

CMA CGM said it will reorganize the rotations of its ASAF and WAX lines to improve service between Asia and West Africa.

German banks’ toxic shipping loans are a matter of concern ahead of the European Central Bank’s stress tests, the International Monetary Fund warned.

Matson Inc. has agreed to pay the U.S. government $9 million to settle allegations that the company submitted false claims for fuel surcharges on military household goods shipments between continental U.S. points and Hawaii and Guam.

Crowley Maritime Transportation is hailing the Florida East Coast Railway decision to open its newest Intermodal Container Transport Facility at Port Everglades...

China’s rejection of the P3 alliance dealt a blow to the idea of a mega-alliance, but the aftermath has paved the way for a variety of smaller vessel-sharing agreements to enter the market.

Service reliability in the container shipping business is set to improve as carriers with lower standards joining the big alliances will be forced to raise their game.

Crowley Maritime Corp. is in talks to acquire the Puerto Rico ships, routes and San Juan port facilities of competitor Horizon Lines for about $80 million, according to a report in Caribbean Business.

The post-Panamax container ship MSC Flaminia will rejoin Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s fleet this week, two years after being heavily damaged in a mid-Atlantic fire that killed three crewmembers.

India’s merchandise exports rose for the third straight month in June on a year-over-year basis, expanding 10.22 percent to $26.48 billion...

Evergreen Line has introduced a container service between the India subcontinent and the Middle East by acquiring slots on a weekly service operated by Simatech Shipping, the Dubai-based intra-Asia feeder line.

Zim Integrated Shipping Services said it finalized its debt restructuring deal after its parent Israel Corp. invested $200 million of new equity into the ocean carrier.

Matson's expedited service allows it to stand out from most larger carriers in the eastbound trans-Pacific and is shoring up profits for the Jones Act line.

First-quarter 2014 numbers are in for the U.S. containerized ocean trade, with year-over-year results essentially flat.

The impact of importers’ contingency plans to avoid any West Coast labor disruptions tied to International Longshore and Warehouse Union contract talks are showing up in second-quarter import volumes.

The U.S.-Asia ocean container trade increased 2.7 percent to 20 million 20-foot-equivalent units in the 12 months ending March 2014 compared with the prior 12-month period, according to data from PIERS, the data division of JOC Group.

China Cosco Holdings plans to buy five 14,000-TEU ships to help replenish a fleet that has been aggressively trimmed so far this year with 24 ships heading for the scrap yard.

Zim Integrated Shipping Services today said it has reached agreement with the Israeli government over the state’s “golden share,” paving the way for a $3.4 billion debt restructuring...

China Cosco Holdings scrapped another eight vessels in the second quarter, taking to 24 ships disposed of in a fleet renewal program...

United Arab Shipping Co. and China Shipping Container Line are the “most obvious” partners for CMA CGM after the French ocean carrier was excluded from the recently unveiled 2M alliance between Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co., according to Drewry Maritime Research.

The top 10 companies among JOC’s Top 100 exporters were responsible for exporting 1,454,700 TEUs in 2013.

Shipper groups began to react cautiously to the planned 10-year vessel-sharing agreement proposed by Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. on east-west trades, dubbed “2M.”

Wan Hai Lines plans to upgrade its intra-Asia service network by joining the West India-China direct service (WIN) operated by a consortium of NYK Line, X-Press Feeders, Hapag-Lloyd and Yang Ming Lines.

How much market share Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Co. would control through the 10-year vessel sharing agreement they announced on July 10 will largely determine whether the pact meets a similar fate to that of the P3.

The Port of Tacoma sealed a new deal with Washington-based carrier Westwood Shipping Lines for the line to move its Puget Sound port of call back to Tacoma.

The world’s two biggest container lines today announced plans to launch a 10-year vessel-sharing agreement, dubbed 2M, to cover more ports with direct services and improve efficiency through better utilization of vessel capacity and economies of scale.

The unit cost advantage container carriers are gaining by operating mega-ships is having the effect of dragging down freight rates at a time when all but the top lines are struggling to remain profitable.

With the body of the failed P3 Network still warm, the world's top two carriers have announced a new global agreement without CMA CGM.

Trade between northern Europe and North America fell in May, but carriers are making moves to keep their utilization rates over 90 percent on both eastbound and westbound routes, Drewry says.

Maersk Line said its customers face an additional charge of between $50 and $150 per 40-foot container on North American and North European routes that will be affected by new low-sulfur fuel limits that come into force in January.