Capacity is being cut drastically on the Asia-Europe routes as the slack season starts. Several strings or loops on the Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean routes have been discontinued while big shipping groups such as CKYH and the Grand Alliancey are pulling out individual services to suit market demand.

Capacity levels on the transpacific is also being cut but only marginally. On the Asia-US West Coast and Asia-US East Coast routes, the tendency has increasingly focussed on suspension of individual sailings.

Capacity deployed on the Asia-North Europe trade in December 2009 is more than 16 percent down against the same period last year, but this figure is dwarfed by the nearly 23 percent cutback on the Asia-Mediterranean trade over the same time frame.

These moves have effectively taken out around 7,000 TEUs of weekly capacity from the North Europe trade and 5,000 TEUs from the Mediterranean trade.

The CKYH initiative kicked off in October, but it took almost six weeks before the Grand Alliance lines, Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL, made known their intentions of cutting capacity.

Cargonews Asia

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• Asia-Europe container is higher

    The year long decline in Asia-Europe container traffic is slowing and freight rates are rising, according to the latest figures from ocean carriers. Shipments from Asia to Europe fell 10 percent in October to 962,818 twenty foot equivalent units from 1.075 million TEUs a year ago, the European Liner Affairs

• Asia-Europe Trade Restore box

    The Asia-Europe container trade rebounded in the third quarter from the deep declines in traffic during the first half of the year, driven by a surge in shipments on the eastbound trade from Mediterranean ports.

• ZIM increase over the Suez –

     ZIM has announced that it will implement a general rate increase in cross-Suez trade effective March 1, 2010. From Asia to North Europe and the West Mediterranean the cost will be US$350 per TEU and from Asia to East Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Adriatic, $300 per TEU. Cargonews Asia

• West-bound container trade rises 10.6% in January

    Ship container volumes from Asia to Europe rose for a third consecutive month in January, growing by over 10 per cent year on year in the biggest monthly rise since records started in October 2008, data showed.

• ZIM Suez launches new service

     ZIM is introducing an Asia-Med-Europe (AME) service, a new Suez service between Asia, India, Mediterranean and Europe. The new service, based on 12 3,800 TEUs vessels, will be launched from April 7 in Shanghaiy. The port rotation is Shanghaiy, Da Chan Bay, Port Kelang, Nhava Sheva, Haifay, Ashdody, Felixstowe, Antwerpy, Hamburg, Alexandriay,

• Ocean Carriers Boost Asia-Europe capacity

     Ocean container carriers are significantly boosting cargo capacity on Asia-Europe shipping lanes for the first time in 18 months, threatening to reverse recent strong gains in freight rates. New service launches will add around 22,000 20-foot equivalent units to the trade, representing around 7 percent of total capacity, according to Alphaliner,

• Large ships, the U.S. East Coast

     ?? Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will deploy several ships of about 8,000 TEUs in its trans-Suez Golden Gate Service (GGS) between Asia and the U.S

• Large ships, the U.S. East Coast

     ?? Mediterranean Shipping Co. said it will deploy several ships of about 8,000 TEUs in its trans-Suez Golden Gate Service (GGS) between Asia and the U.S

• Asia-Europe Rates, Volumes Surge

     Ocean container freight rates are surging on key Asia-Europe trade routes as traffic rebounds from a year-long downturn and carriers cull capacity. Spot container rates from China to North Europe have risen by 68 percent since October, according to Alphaliner, the Paris-based container shipping consultant. The European Liner Affairs Association said its

• Rates back to 2007 peak

     Freight rates for container shipping trade lanes between Asia and Europe have returned to their peak levels of 2007 as exports gain strength and shipping companies control capacity over the route, reported the South China Morning Post. Coscon, the largest shipping company on the mainland, said rates had increased to

• UASC, APL, Hanjin add the most capacity in the past year

     UASC, APL and Hanjin Shipping have been the most active in adding fleet capacity among the world’s top 20 liner carriers over the past 12 months, according to a report by the maritime consultant Dynamar. Dynamar reported capacity changes in fleets since October 2008 in its Dynaliners newsletter. UASC, the 20th-largest

• Supplies to keep sailing

    There will be close to three million TEUs of excess capacity by the end of next year, according to experts. They predict excess box capacity will persist till 2013

• Singapore, Shanghai top two ports in 2009

     Singapore retained its title as the world’s busiest port last year, with container cargo handled by its terminals reaching 25.87 million TEUs. But there was little daylight between Singapore and second-placed Shanghaiy, which saw 25 million TEUs crossing its busy wharves. Hong Kong retained its place as third busiest port handling 20.92

• High increase in traffic in Phnom Penh next port

     Shipments through Phnom Penh Autonomous Port were up for the fourth straight month in October, Xinhua reported. The port handled 3,682 TEUs last month, 8.61 percent more than the 3,390 TEUs handled in October 2008. Container throughput grew 22.7 percent year on year in September to 4,484 TEUs, and 22.65 percent

• Hanjin Increases Asia-Europe Rates

     Hanjin Shipping has joined Maersk Line, Evergreen, Mediterranean Shipping Co. and other major shipping lines in announcing that it will raise its eastbound freight rates on Asia-Europe trade lanes. The South Korean liner company said it will post an increase of $200 on 20-foot containers and $400 on 40-foot containers for