Hapag-Lloyd restarts AES, adds Hamburg call

Hapag-Lloyd restarts AES, adds Hamburg call    Liner carrier Hapag-Lloyd said Friday it is restarting a transatlantic service linking New York with Hamburg and Antwerp.
   The German line shelved its AES service (at that time a pure New York/Antwerp shuttle) in December due to slowing demand. The service will recommence March 13 with a Hamburg, Antwerp, New York and Hamburg rotation.
   The calls at Hamburg are new, as is an advertised eight-day transit time from Antwerp to New York, one day faster than the AES had advertised before being suspended.
   The service was previously operated with three vessels, with an average capacity of 2,716 TEUs, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data. The line didn't specify which vessels would be used once the service restarts. Hapag-Lloyd's partners in the Grand Alliance — OOCL and NYK Line — took slots on the service, as did Hyundai Merchant Marine and Hamburg S'd.