Ocean shipping: Hamburg Sud optimises southern European-Med route

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

31 Jan 2008

Shippers doing business in the resurgent northern European market are being given more ocean carrier capacity to key destinations in the Mediterranean by Hamburg Sud. The recent acquisition of Costa Container Lines also figures prominently in this announcement. Maritime analysts told LM that the carrier has never been a major player in this trade lane, but it has been working with partners to slowly develop business for key multinational manufacturers. ''It seems clear that their recent acquisition of Costa gives them additional resources, volumes and leverage in this particular market, and it would seem that they are starting to exert that strength a bit more,'' said an industry analyst. He added that Hamburg Sud's pattern over the years has usually been a series of smaller acquisitions-each one carefully chosen and not uncommonly at a time when markets are in down cycles-and then acquired, brought into their systems, and improved. ''You see a constant repetition of this pattern in the steady growth of cargo volumes on acquired trades once they take over,'' said the analyst. Beginning in mid-February, this service will be switched to a weekly frequency, with sailings fixed by the deployment of a fifth vessel.The deployment of the 1,900 TEU ''Santa Monica'' will expand not only the capacity in service, but also permits an additional call at Valencia in the western Mediterranean. The Valencia call offers linkage with the South America services of Hamburg Sud and Costa  Container Lines. Furthermore, a new weekly feeder link from Valencia to Tunis, synchronized with the southern routes service, is being started to provide faster connection. This networking capability will render the previous capacities of the direct Europe / Tunis-Salerno shuttle redundant. All ports previously called at by the Tunis-Salerno shuttle will continue to be served