Container lines

Hapag-Lloyd has introduced a fortnightly feeder service between Puerto Progreso, Mexico, and Kingston, Jamaica.

OOCL and Hapag-Lloyd have decided to shift the South Florida call on the Gulf Atlantic Express service from Miami to Port Everglades.

The volume of U.S. beef exports in May was 97,820 metric tons, rising 3 percent year-over-year, and export value was $513.6 million, increasing 9 percent compared with the value in May 2012...

Strikes by unionized lock workers in several German waterway canal systems have halted barge traffic, according to a spokesperson at German service workers’ union Ver.di, which called for the strikes, Platts reports.

Seaspan Corp. has accepted delivery of the container ship MOL Efficiency, bringing the company’s operating fleet to 71 vessels.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has announced several organizational changes that will take effect in August:

U.S. steel exports in May were 1.163 million tons, rising 11.6 percent from 1.041 million tons in the previous month, but falling 7.9 percent compared with May 2012, according to government reporting.

Overall U.S. container trade with Asia increased 1.3 percent to 19.5 million 20-foot-equivalent units in the 12 months ending in March compared to the prior 12-month period, according to data from PIERS, a Journal of Commerce sister company.

The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened a 10-mile stretch of the Mississippi River above Head of Passes after it was deemed safe for navigation, The Times-Picayune reports.

The sale of Scandlines could be put on hold after its private equity owners failed to agree a price with the remaining bidder for the Danish-German ferry company.

Fire now threatens the remaining part of the stricken MOL Comfort.

Five container lines cooperating on a joint service linking Far East Asia with Australia plan to revise the port rotation of the service to incorporate a direct call at Qingdao.

Major container lines have announced rate increases for a variety of trades, with most slated to take effect in August.

The three new shipping services that kicked off this spring from Asia to the East Coast via the Suez Canal still may be shaking out, but there’s no doubt they’re helping to accelerate the momentum the route has built over the past several years.

Spot container shipping rates in the Asia-Europe trade soared 165 percent in the week of July 4 as general rate increases carriers implemented on July 1 took hold, according to the World Container Index.

Wine exports from Europe to Asia have become a major staple of backhaul eastbound container trades in recent years as alcohol demand has surged. Yet growth is now threatened by a trade dispute between the EU and China.

Shipping lines are entering the peak season in the major east-west trade lanes at a decided disadvantage because they aren’t taking the steps necessary to control capacity to match modest growth in container volumes.

Tumbling shipyard prices and easy credit are driving the recent surge in container ship orders at a time of industrywide overcapacity, according to consultant Drewry.

China’s manufacturing activity weakened and new export orders slowed last month despite the improving U.S. economic outlook.

The U.S. trade deficit in goods expanded to $63.4 billion in May, up $5.0 billion from April, as exports fell by $0.9 billion to $130.3 billion, and imports rose by $4.2 billion to $193.7 billion.

Hamburg Süd has added a direct call at Salerno, Italy, to its route from the U.S. Gulf Coast and South Florida to the western Mediterranean.

The top 21 ocean container carriers increased the combined capacity of their fleets by 6.3 percent in the past year amid slowing cargo demand, according to industry analyst Alphaliner.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines today reported that the fore part of the MOL Comfort has been recovered and its towing has resumed, after it was disconnected from the tow wire during its salvage operation on July 2.

U.S. steel imports in May were 2.801 million tons, increasing 2.3 percent from 2.738 million tons in April (revised), but declining 8.6 percent compared with May 2012, according to government reporting.

Emirates Shipping Line has launched its Central China India Service, which connects central and Southern China with Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent...

Le Fonds stratégique d’investissement has closed its $150 million investment in CMA CGM Group through mandatory convertible bonds.

Captain Wei Jiafu, one of the most prominent maritime industry leaders over the past decade, has stepped down as chairman of the board of China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines reported that during the ongoing salvage operation of the MOL Comfort, which snapped in half on June 17 during inclement weather in the Indian Ocean...

South Africa’s trade deficit in May was 11.03 billion South African rands (about US$1.11 billion), improving from a deficit of $1.61 billion in April.

Cargo from Asia to the Mediterranean rose 10 percent in April, jumping from a monthly average of 366,000 20-foot-equivalent units in the first quarter of 2013 to 401,000 TEUs...

CMA CGM has reorganized CMA CGM America, the U.S. agent of the CMA CGM Group, headquartered in Norfolk, Va., in conjunction with the departure of Frank Baragona, chairman of CMA CGM America.

Sea Star Line has taken delivery of 150 new 40-foot refrigerated containers in the second year of a five-year equipment replacement plan.

Direct ChassisLink, an intermodal marine chassis provider in North America, has acquired Hyundai Merchant Marine’s U.S. chassis fleet, comprising more than 23,000 chassis...

Gulftainer has welcomed the CMA CGM Alexander Von Humboldt container ship on its maiden voyage and call at the Khorfakkan Container Terminal at the Port of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates.

Hanjin Shipping will continue to seek out more opportunities for its terminal-handling business both to support its own global service network and to offer third party services.

Starting week 32, Hapag-Lloyd will introduce a new call at Paita, Peru, on its Mexico-Peru Service.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has reported that the aft part of its fractured MOL Comfort container ship sank today in the open sea in the Indian Ocean...

Hapag-Lloyd and OOCL have decided to suspend calls at Charleston, S.C., from the Gulf Mexico Express Service in order to improve schedule reliability to and from Mexico and the U.S. East Coast.