Hapag, RCL to join Hyper Galex

   Emirates Shipping Line said Thursday that fellow liner carriers Hapag-Lloyd and RCL will join its Hyper Galex service between China, Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent from Feb. 11.
   The service rotation will also be expanded to include calls in Xingang and Colombo, the line said. Meanwhile, an existing call at Xiamen will be dropped.
   The revised rotation will be Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Da Chan Bay, Singapore, Port Klang, Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Pipavav, Port Klang, Singapore and Xingang. The service is operated by six vessels with an average capacity of 2,166 TEUs, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   NYK Line, a partner of Hapag-Lloyd in the Grand Alliance, said last week it has begun taking slots on the service. OOCL, the third partner in the Grand Alliance, dropped off the service in December as a slot taker. — Eric Johnson