World Maritime Market

-     In order to cover peak season southbound volumes, the AAUS Group which consist of APL, Hamburg Süd, Hapag-Lloyd and Hyundai Merchant Marine along with Maersk Line have decided to upgrade the existing two loop system with a further peak season string. The peak season string will be operated with five vessels with an average effective capacity of 2,400 TEU per week of which Hamburg Süd will provide two vessels and APL, Hapag-Lloyd and Hyundai Merchant Marine one vessel each. Maersk Line will be chartering slots from the AAUS Group. The combined service package will provide the following coverage: Northern Loop: Yokohama – Osaka – Pusan – Qingdao – Shanghai (Yangshan) – Ningbo – Sydney – Melbourne – Melbourne – Sydney – Brisbane – Yokohama. Southern Loop: Kaohsiung – Chiwan – Hong Kong – Melbourne – Sydney – Brisbane – Kaohsiung.Peak Season String: Shanghai (Waigaoqiao) – Yantian – Hong Kong – Sydney – Melbourne – Brisbane – Shanghai (Waigaoqiao).

-     In order to cover peak seasonal requirements, Hamburg Süd and Maersk Line have decided to introduce a second string in their service between Asia, South Africa and East Coast of South America. The second string will be operated with 10 vessels with an effective capacity of 2100 TEU, with each line providing 5 vessels. Starting as from the first week of July, the service will operate as follows: String 1( Nagoya – Yokohama – Pusan – Shanghai – Hong Kong – Tanjung Pelepas – Singapore –Sepetiba – Santos – Buenos Aires – Rio Grande – Navegantes – Paranagua – Santos – Singapore – Hong Kong – Nagoya.) String 2: ( Shanghai – Ningbo – Dachan Bay – Hong Kong – Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas – Durban – Santos – Itajai – Port Elizabeth – Durban – Shanghai ).The two strings are coordinated in such a way that they provide for the most complete coverage in the trade with fast transit-times between key port pairs.

-     South Korean shipbuilders, led by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., racked up modest orders in the first half of the year on continued demand for vessels and offshore facilities, putting them on course to meet their yearly targets, the world's largest shipbuilder, clinched orders worth US$7 billion in the first six months of the year, achieving 58 per cent of its full-year target of $12 billion. Samsung Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's No.2 shipyard, won deals valued at $5.1 billion in the January-June period. The shipyard which logged a meager $1.5 billion worth of deals last year set its yearly order target at $8 billion for the year.
Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co., the country's No.3 shipbuilder, received orders worth $3.2 billion in the first six months of the year. The shipbuilder's full-year goal is $10 billion in orders. South Korea, home to seven of the world's top 10 shipyards, have thrived in recent years as booming international trade and China's rapid economic development spurred demand for vessels. The global economic slump, however, has impacted demand for new ships. "It is too early to say if the sector has got on a recovery path, but demand for offshore facilities and high-priced ships are rising steadily.

-     Hanjin Shipping has announced that it has received its first 10,000TEU class containership. Named “Hanjin Korea”, unlike the company’s container vessels usually named after different cities around the world, is the first of the series of five 10,000TEU class ships ordered from Samsung Heavy Industries. Hanjin Korea is equipped with a fuel-efficient and eco-friendly engine that can reduce both fuel consumption and CO2 emission.

-     Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd ("K" Line) has announced the launch of a new direct service from Far East to West Africa.
"K" Line presently provides a feeder service from South Africa to West Africa using transshipment from Far East to South Africa. This new service will provide a faster transit time with direct service from Far East to West Africa which will be jointly operated by "K" Line, China Shipping, and Hapag-Lloyd. A total of eight vessels will be deployed with "K" Line deploying 3 vessels, China Shipping providing 4 vessels, and the remaining 1 vessel coming from Hapag-Lloyd covering a 70-day round voyage. Port Rotation:
Shanghai - Ningbo - Xiamen - Shekou - Port Kelang - Durban (South Africa) - Tema (Ghana) - Lome (Togo) - Cotonou (Benin) - Tincan Island (Nigeria) - Durban - Port Kelang – Shanghai

-     Economic Zones World (EZW) announced that Gazprom Neft Marine Bunkering Limited, a subsidiary of Russian gas giant, Gazprom Energy has established a base at Djibouti Free Zone (DFZ). The move comes as part of the multinational energy major’s expansion strategy. Managed by Jafza, the flagship company of EZW, the Djibouti Free Zone is a gateway to East Africa and one of the single most important strategic logistics hubs to provide access to strategic markets in East and Central Africa and beyond. DFZ offers a unique Jafza-inspired business environment and located close to global marine terminal operator, DP World’s Djibouti and Doraleh terminals which attract leading international shipping lines including Maersk   and MSC among others. Gazprom through its local subsidiary Djibouti Bunkering Company FZCO plans to sell marine fuel to these shipping lines. The company has two storage tanks with a storage capacity of 9300 cubic meter and a barge in the marine oil terminal Doraleh. The company is awaiting quality control approval for its Floating Barge and expects to commence operations by June end. Ali Dawood, Senior Vice President, EBU (Emerging Business Units), Economic Zones World and Chief Planning Officer, UAE Region said: “Djibouti Free Zone, like Jafza, our flagship operation in Dubai, is fully committed to support Gazprom’s growth plans on the African continent.. DFZ is a strategically located gateway linking free zone based companies to millions of customers in key markets in Africa and worldwide.”Andrey Vasiliev, Director General, Gazprom Neft Marine Bunker Limited said: “Gazprom Neft intends to deliver first class bunkering service to the marine industry in the region which will further develop and strengthen our business relations with Djibouti and the continent.”

-     The CMA CGM Group has announced the delivery of the CMA CGM LAMARTINE (6,500 TEU) and CMA CGM CALLISTO (11,400 TEU) in South Korea .Built by Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co shipyards, the CMA CGM LAMARTINE (6 500 TEU) is deployed on the Asia-Mediterranean market on the MEX (Mediterranean Express) service. The rotation will be as follows: Yokohama – Kobe - Pusan – Kwanyang - Shanghai - Ningbo - Xiamen – Chiwan - Hong Kong - Port Kelang - Beirut - Malta - Valencia - Barcelona – Fos - Genoa - Naples - Malta - Damietta – Khorfakkan - Port Kelang – Chiwan - Yokohama . The CMA CGM Group also took delivery in South Korea of CMA CGM CALLISTO (11,400 TEU). Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyards, the vessel is the third of a series of 12 vessels of 11,400 TEU ordered by the CMA CGM Group. They will be delivered between 2010 and 2011. The vessel has impressive dimensions ( 360 meter long, 45 meter large, 15.5 meter draught) and is equipped with innovative environmental-friendly features.This new giant of the seas will be deployed on the FAL 5 (French Asia Line) service operated between Asia and North Europe . CMA CGM CALLISTO will start its rotation on July 3rd in Ningbo before calling Shanghai – Yantian - Tanjung Pelepas - Port Kelang - Le Havre - Hamburg - Rotterdam – Zeebrugge - Port Kelang and Singapore.