Container lines

Emirates Shipping Line today announced a general rate increase on its trade route from the Far East and Southeast Asia to the Middle East, effective March 15.

Zhang Yuangzhong, a lawyer in Beijing, is leading a shareholders’ revolt against China Cosco Holdings, a subsidiary of Cosco Group, in order to get rid of Wei Jiafu, the maritime group’s chairman.

Hapag-Lloyd has announced changes in port rotation for its WAS and WAN services between the U.S. West Coast and Australasia.

Fesco Transportation Group’s ocean carrier saw its deep-sea container traffic grow 14.1 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, driven by expansion of its liner network in its domestic Russian market and international routes.

German ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd has announced that it will offer two new services, the North China India Service and the Central China India Service, starting in March.

Maersk Line’s Emma Maersk, which took on water while transiting the Suez Canal on Friday, Feb. 1, faces a lengthy period out of service.

Crowley Maritime and Customized Brokers, the company’s Miami-based customs brokerage company, have opened a new cold storage warehouse facility in Miami.

Ocean container carrier Mediterranean Shipping Company will increase rates on its trade route from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to North Europe and west Mediterranean, including Israel, effective March 15.

CMA CGM recently announced that the CMA CGM Marco Polo arrived in Ningbo, China, on Jan. 24, completing its first turnaround.

The Federal Maritime Commission has asked the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement for more information on the TSA’s proposed expansion to include westbound as well as eastbound trans-Pacific lines.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Zim Integrated Shipping Services will launch a new joint Mediterranean-Europe service in mid-February.

Hapag-Lloyd has increased rates for all cargoes and container types on its Indian subcontinent to Southeast and Northeast Asia trade, effective March 1. The rate hike will be $50 per 20-foot-equivalent unit.

Hong Kong-based China Navigation Co., a shipowning subsidiary of the Swire group, has launched the first of a series of eight S-class vessels at Zhejiang Ouhua Shipyard in China.

The International Chamber of Shipping condemned planned Suez Canal toll hikes and warned cash-strapped shipowners might sail their vessels via the route around the Cape of Good Hope.

German ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd has changed its agent representative in Croatia from Jadroagent to Adriatikagent.

Non-vessel-operating common carriers don’t think the outlook for carrier rate increases this year is very strong.

CMA CGM has added two calls to Milano and Padova in Italy on its Far East to the Mediterranean intermodal route.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, the parent company of the Japanese ocean carrier MOL, reported a net loss of $678.1 million in the third quarter of 2012, ending Dec. 31. Quarterly revenue was $12.9 billion.

Ocean container carrier Alianca has received the first of four new identical vessels to be deployed in its Brazilian coastal service.

Ocean carrier United Arab Shipping Co. will implement a general rate increase on all U.S. export cargo to the Middle East and Mediterranean, effective March 1. It will apply to all tariff ocean freight rates and service contracts.

Cosco Container Lines today announced an emergency bunker surcharge adjustment for both eastbound and westbound shipments in Far East to Northwest Europe and Mediterranean trade, effective March 1, until further notice.

Taiwan-based ocean shipping company Yang Ming Marine Transport today set up Yang Ming (Australia) with Inchcape Shipping Services to expand its market in Australia.

Mediterranean Shipping Co. will hike rates on all export cargo from North Europe, Baltic and Eire to Canada’s west and east coasts, effective March 1.

Hapag-Lloyd will increase rates from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to Mexico, Central America, the west and east coasts of South America, Panama and the Caribbean on March 1 by $300 per 20-foot-equivalent unit.

Shipping company NYK Line today reported profit in the first three quarters of fiscal year 2012, ending Dec. 21, 2012, was $39.8 million and revenue totaled $17.6 billion.

Japanese ocean carrier “K” Line reported profit in the nine months ending Dec. 31, 2012, was 9.4 million yen (about US$102.9 million), up from a net loss of $461.5 million during the same period in 2011.

Greek bulk shipowner Capital Product Partners today reported a net loss of $35 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, dropping from a profit of $1 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

The U.S. housing recovery bodes well for containerized imports of furniture and other home goods this year.

The European Union closed an antitrust investigation into a German container feeder ship cooperative after its members agreed to abandon a compensation system for laying-up vessels and an information exchange scheme.

South Korea-based container carrier Hanjin Shipping reported a net loss of KRW$638 billion (about US$586 million) for the full year of 2012, improving from 2011’s net loss of $757.9 million.

Hapag-Lloyd will increase rates, beginning March 15, for all cargo from East Asia, excluding Japan, to the Persian Gulf.

Maersk Line will implement a general rate increase for all dry shipments from the U.S. to the Far East, effective March 2.

Ocean carrier MOL, subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, has launched its Guayaquil Paita Xpress service.

Civil unrest in Egypt is not impacting operations at the key Suez Canal ports of Ismailia and Suez and Port Said.

Seaboard Marine has received 340 new 40-foot refrigerated high-cube containers, and is set to receive 334 more 40-foot reefers in February, in preparation for the peak perishables season.

U.S. steel imports in December 2012 totaled 2.3 million tons, declining 13.9 percent from 2.7 million tons in November, according to American Institute for International Steel.

Ocean carrier Mediterranean Shipping Co. has announced general rate increases from Europe to the Middle East and Asia for the first quarter of 2013.