Final post :-(

After a few months of existence, we are sorry to announce the suspension of the linervision news feed. linervision has attracted a great deal of market participants and generated positive feed back… but it has become too much of an investment, and with other activities developing, we cannot maintain it to the best standards.

Thank you to all of our followers and contributors: linervision would not have been the same without your pictures, tips, ideas, and data!

Best wishes

the linervision team

Maersk extends Indonesian ‘IA4’ coverage

As of mid-November, the ‘IA4’ service of Maersk Line and MCC, the intra-Asia specialist of the APM Group, will offer extended coverage in Indonesia with a new call at Surabaya and a second call at Jakarta.

The 2,824 teu SFL FALCON will open the new rotation which reads :

Busan, Kwangyang, Vostochny, Busan, Kwangyang, Shanghai, Keelung, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Jakarta, Surabaya (new), Jakarta (new), Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yantian (Shenzhen), Kaohsiung, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan.

At the same time, the loop duration is extended from six to seven weeks and the SFL TIGER is added (as of 19 November) to the service in order to maintain the weekly frequency.

Thenamaris receives SEADREAM (5,000 teu)

The Greek non-operating owner Thenamaris has taken delivery of the 5,000 teu baby-overpanamax vessel SEADREAM: The new ship is the second of two sisters that Thenamaris ordered in June 2011 at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries of South Korea.

The 255.40m long and 37.40m (15 rows) wide ship has a commercial speed of 21.5 knots and is powered by a MAN B&W 6G80ME-C9.2 main engine, rated at about 27.000 kW.

While unit one of the duo was taken up by Maersk Line, Thenamaris’ SEADREAM appears to be charter free for the moment.

Maersk – Seago opens seasonal Levant – Black Sea service

Maersk – Seago has re-opened its seasonal Levant – Black Sea service, a loop which is – among others – aimed at citrus fruit and other agricultural products.

The loop which was suspended in late May re-opens today with a first sailing of the 1,155 teu ORKUN KALKAVAN from Mersin. After a single inaugural round voyage, the vessel is to be replaced by the MAERSK ARUN, who will sail alongside the 968 teu BOTTENVIK, so far employed by BG Freight.

The rotation reads as follows: Mersin, Ashdod, Novorossiysk, Mersin.

In parallel, Maersk has already strengthened its seasonal coverage from Morocco to Russia with two dedicated services ensuring Agadir – St Petersburg links.

HANJIN FLORIDA (3,614 teu) delivered

Vladimir Tonic

The 3,614 teu HANJIN FLORIDA at Sundong / Credit: Vladimir Tonic

Hanjin Shipping has put into service the 3,614 teu container vessel HANJIN FLORIDA, the third vessel in a series of four sister ships ordered by companies related to the Ofer Family in June 2011 at Sungdong Shipyard, South Korea.

The new baby-overpanamax ship is 228m long and 37.30m (15 rows) wide. It is equipped with 500 reefer plugs and designed for moderate service speeds of no more than 21 knots.

The HANJIN FLORIDA is to join the Far East to India and Pakistan service ‘FIX’ offered jointly by Hanjin and KMTC. On this loop, the new ship will replace the 4,275 teu HANJIN DURBAN.

BG Freight suspends intra-Iberia service and slots on Unifeeder

BG Freight Line, a subsidiary of the UK’s Peel Ports Group, is to suspend its weekly intra-Iberia service, so far run with the 868 teu vessels BERIT and BOTTENVIK.

At the same time, the Rotterdam-based operator is to take slots allocations on the Spain-related services of Unifeeder. The Danish short sea and feeder line had recently opened a number of new services in the Western Med and along the southwest European Atlantic coast, centered on the Gibraltar Straits hub port of Algeciras.

BG Freight will offer following coverage:

  • Algeciras, Vigo, Bilbao, Algeciras
  • Algeciras, Lisbon, Leixoes, Algeciras

The BOTTENVIK has been chartered by Maersk Line Seago for the Levant – Black Sea ‘Citrus’ season.

Week 44 at a glance

2013, Week 44 – from October 27 to November 2

Network

Fleet & Finance

P3 setup

CSBC delivers EVER LINKING (9,200 teu)

The Evergreen Group has taken delivery of the UK-registered 9,200 teu vessel EVER LINKING. The ship is the 16th of 30 units in the carrier’s series of new L-class ships and the second vessel of the series that was built at CSBC Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

Evergreen had decided to split the 30-strong series of new L-class ships between the South Korean yards Samsung Heavy Industries (20 ships) and CSBC Kaohsiung (10 units).

The new vessel follows the EVER LIVING, delivered in September as the first CSBC-built ship of the type.

Evergreen will phase the EVER LINKING into its ‘CES’ Far East to Northern Europe service, where several of the new L-class units are to replace the last remaining 7,024 teu Evergreen S-class ships.

The new L-type vessels were the largest container ships in Evergreen’s fleet until the recent delivery of the 13,900 teu THALASSA HELLAS, the first of a series of ten ultra-large ships that Evergreen is to charter from the Greek non-operating owner Enesel.

Initially, Evergreen had been very conservative when it comes to newbuilding orders. For years, the carrier had the smallest order book of any major container line and it refrained from ordering ultra-large vessels when many of its rivals opted for +13,000 teu ships. In 2010 and 2011 Evergreen finally embarked on a 30 ship newbuilding program, which it topped up in 2012 with a deal with Enesel for even bigger ships.

P3 setup update: Europe – North America

Subject to regulatory approval, the proposed P3 alliance – Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM – plans to restructure the three carriers’ east-west mainline services. The new joint network will lead to a consolidation of strings and to an up-sizing of the vessel fleet.

The P3 alliance’s Transatlantic pattern will consist of five dedicated weekly services: Three North Europe loops and two Med slings.

Additionally, one Suez-routed Asia to USEC service which performs way calls at Algeciras (WB) and Tanger Med (EB) is expected to serve partially as a Med to USEC loop.

One further Suez-routed Asia to USEC features underway calls at Haifa (WB and EB), but can be omitted from the count of actual Transatlantic services as Haifa is not a major hub and volumes are expected to be limited.

It has to be noted that the P3 agreement does not cover all Transatlantic activities of Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM.

Offerings such as dedicated India and Middle East to USEC loops, Panama-routed Europe to ANZ services with USEC coverage, as well as Canada-related services, remain outside the scope of the P3.

In many cases, such services are offered in partnership with third parties outside the ‘big three’.

On the mainlines however, the P3 alliance’s Transatlantic network of five loops will succeed a pattern of seven loops.

Nevertheless, the alliance is expected to increase its Transatlantic capacity by some 15%, as the partner carriers will phase many large ships into the consolidated service structure.

In 2014, many of today’s 4,000 to 6.750 teu vessels trading between Europe and North America for P3 member lines, will be replaced or supplemented by 8,500 teu units.

Many such ships have become available since the Asia-Europe trunk routes are being boosted to capacities of 13,000 to 16,000 teu per week, with numerous newbuilt ultra-large vessels.

The P3 Europe / Med – North America setup looks as follows:

Northern Europe to USEC and US Gulf

North Atlantic / Liberty Bridge / TA1
Bremerhaven, Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Le Havre, New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, New York, Bremerhaven

South Atlantic / Victory Bridge / TA2
Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Le Havre, Charleston, Freeport, Miami, Veracruz, Altamira, Miami, Savannah, Charleston, Antwerp

(MSC name) / Equality Bridge / TA3
Antwerp, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Bremerhaven, Le Havre, New York, Charleston, Savannah, Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Freeport, Norfolk, Antwerp

Mediterranean to USEC and US Gulf

(MSC name) / Amerigo / TA5
Gioia Tauro, Naples, La Spezia, Genoa, Fos-sur-Mer, Valencia, Sines, New York, Boston, Baltimore, Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, Valencia, Gioia Tauro

(MSC name) / Med-Gulf / TA6
Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Sines, Freeport, Port Everglades, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Freeport (Bah.), Sines, Algeciras, Barcelona, Gioia Tauro

Atlantic / Vespucci / (tbd) (as part of an Asia – USEC service with waycalls at the Gibraltar Strait hubs of Algeciras and Tanger)
(From Asia via Suez…), Valencia, Algeciras, New York, Savannah, Charleston, Tanger Med, Marsaxlokk, (…to Asia via Suez).

Hanjin to halt Portland calls in 2014

South Korea’s Hanjin shipping will drop the call at Portland, Oregon, from its ‘PNH’ service in early 2014. The US West Coast port, located on the Columbia river, will therewith lose its one and only Transpacific container service.

Hanjin blamed rising handling charges and sagging longshore labor productivity for its decision. So far, the ‘PNH’ service handled an average of about 1,600 containers per week, Hanjin therewith accounts for 80 percent of Portland’s container business.

Apart from Westwood’s forest product service, which also accepts limited numbers of containers, Hapag-Lloyd’s and Hamburg Sud’s joint Panama Canal-routed Mediterranean – WCNA loop ‘MPS’ will remain the only container service left at Portland.

Hanjin’s decision is a major blow to the Manila-headquartered terminal operator ICTSI, which runs Portland’s container pier. The company is only a few years into a 25-year concession period and attracting new cargo or even new carriers to Portland is increasingly turning into an uphill task.