CHINA SHIPPING CUTS CAPACITY OF ASIA/EUROPE SERVICES

CHINA SHIPPING CUTS CAPACITY OF ASIA/EUROPE SERVICES    China Shipping Container Lines has merged its weekly Asia/northern Europe service and its Asia/Mediterranean service into a combined Asia/Mediterranean/northern Europe loop.
   The revised service calls at Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Xiamen, Chiwan, Hong Kong, Port Kelang, either Piraeus or Gioia Tauro, Felixstowe, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Port Kelang, Hong Kong and Xingang. The eastbound port of call of Piraeus or Gioia Tauro will act as a hub for the Mediterranean.
   The Chinese carrier, which cooperates with CMA CGM on the Asia/Europe trade, previously ran two weekly services, each employing vessels of about 2,000-TEU capacity.
   The combined service will initially employ nine vessels with capacities ranging between 2,000 and 4,000 TEUs, as China Shipping plans to deploy bigger ships in the Asia/Europe trade. The new, larger ship “CSCL Hamburg” sailed from Asia to Europe on its maiden voyage in early September.