Maersk moves calls from Hong Kong to Nansha

Maersk moves calls from Hong Kong to Nansha    Maersk Line will shift seven to eight of its 30 weekly calls at the Port of Hong Kong to Nansha in the western Pearl River Delta at the beginning of April, according to reports.
   Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported the news Friday and it was confirmed Monday to Reuters by Maersk China Managing Director Jens Eskelund.
   Maersk sister company APM Terminals has a 20 percent stake in the Guangzhou South China Oceangate Container Terminal, one of two in Nansha, a deepwater container complex that's officially part of the Port of Guangzhou.
   Nansha has been aggressively growing in recent years as it taps into burgeoning demand in the western Pearl River Delta — cargo that had moved by barge to Hong Kong or Shenzhen.
   Maersk indicated the move is one to develop a third hub in South China. APMT last year sold a 10 percent stake in Yantian International Container Terminal, the largest single facility in the Port of Shenzhen.
   Hong Kong's container terminal facilities are among the most productive in the world, but it also has some of the highest tariffs in Asia. Nansha has reportedly been pricing their port services lower than Yantian and Hong Kong in an attempt to lure cargo.