Container lines

Swedish shipping company Rederi AB TransAtlantic has appointed Erik Hansen as interim CFO, effective immediately.

The G6 Alliance today announced that it will maintain the current five-loop product structure for its Asia-North Europe service in 2013.

The Grimaldi Group this week laid the foundation stone for the new Grimaldi Terminal Barcelona at the Muelle Costa in the Port of Barcelona in Spain.

Ireland, which took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Jan. 1, has made trade one of its top priorities, according to the European Parliament.

United Arab Shipping Co. has revised its France origin terminal-handling charges on U.S. imports, effective Feb. 15.

In his 2013 policy address, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive CY Leung announced that the government will consider introducing new legislation to require marine vessels to switch to low-sulphur diesel in Hong Kong port...

Pirates attacked 297 ships in 2012, a five-year low and a 32 percent decrease compared with 2011’s 439 ship attacks, according to a global piracy report by the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau.

Hong Kong-based container ship lessor Seaspan has signed contracts for the construction of five 14,000-TEU container ships at Hyundai Heavy Industries.

Ship management company TOTE Services, a division of Princeton, N.J.-based TOTE, has announced that its president, Jorge Aguirre, will retire on Jan. 31.

Maersk Line will implement a general rate increase from India to Latin America on Feb. 1.

A.P. Moller-Maersk, owner of ocean carrier Maersk Line, said the container shipping industry needs to hike rates by $300 to $500 per box on the Asia-Europe trade lane to yield profit, Bloomberg reported.

Container transportation company APL is introducing a new weekly service between Germany and Poland.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based trucking and marine freight company Trailer Bridge’s board of directors has appointed Chris J. Dombalis as a board member and CEO of the company, effective Jan. 16.

Orient Overseas Container Line has decreased its low water surcharge for all cargo shipments via the Port of Montreal, effective Feb. 1, following the latest projections for improved water levels in the Canadian St. Lawrence River.

Ocean carriers are planning to beef up the capacity of their services from Asia to the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal this year while consolidating or even reducing the number of all-water loops deployed via the Panama Canal.

Vigor Industrial has signed a deal with Daoda Marine Heavy Industry Company to buy a new floating drydock for $40 million.

Hapag-Lloyd has launched the Poland Express Service, a new weekly fixed-day route to and from Gdynia, Poland, to Hamburg and Bremerhaven in Germany.

French ocean carrier CMA CGM announced several rate hikes that will take effect in February and March.

Final year figures are expected to show that trade between China and India suffered a major slump in 2012 despite a softening in political relations between the two countries that have previously clashed over borders.

The Container Owners Association, which represents container shipping lines and container leasing companies, has appointed O I Kwon, senior vice president of the container business management division of STX Panocean...

In December 2012, India’s exports were valued at $24.9 billion, falling 1.9 percent from $25.3 billion in the same month the previous year, and imports were valued at $42.5 billion, rising 6.3 percent from December 2011’s $40.0 billion...

Hapag-Lloyd has revised the application date of the congestion surcharge that it plans to apply in the event of an International Longshoremen’s Association strike.

Indian shipbuilder ABG Shipyard has announced its plans to build a greenfield shipyard in three phases along the Indian state of Gujarat’s coastline, representing an investment of about US$912 million.

The U.S. trade deficit was $48.7 billion in November 2012, widening 15.7 percent from $42.1 billion (revised) in October 2012, reported the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Containerized imports should be higher each month over the next five months as U.S. retailers replenish their stocks for the new year, according to the Global Port Tracker published by the National Retail Federation and Ben Hackett Associates.

German carrier Hapag-Lloyd has announced a new service between Guaranao and El Guamache ports in Venezuela.

Maersk Line predicts strong demand on Europe-Asia trades through to Chinese New Year on February 10.

German carrier Hapag-Lloyd will increase rates on its trade between North Europe, including the U.K., and West Africa, effective Feb. 1.

Chinese exports ended 2012 surprisingly strongly, but economists expect the rebound to be short-lived.

The Panama Canal Authority has issued a notice to Vinci Construction Grands Projets to start building a bridge on the Atlantic side of the canal.

Japanese carrier Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has announced changes to its APX service, which runs between North America and Europe, and CNY service, which travels between Asia and the U.S. East Coast and West Coast and Panama.

Maersk Line postponed the effective date of its proposed congestion surcharge at West Coast ports until Feb. 14.

Container lines could earn nearly $5 billion this year, but only if demand meets projections.