Hapag-Lloyd, CP Ships to merge Med/U.S. East Coast loops

Hapag-Lloyd, CP Ships to merge Med/U.S. East Coast loops    Hapag-Lloyd and its new sister company CP Ships will combine two existing services between the Mediterranean, U.S. East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, starting in February 2006.
   The rationalized weekly service will be called the Mediterranean Gulf Express and will use six 3,000-TEU ships calling at Malta, Cagliari/Gioia Tauro, Leghorn, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans, San Juan and Malta again.
   Zim Integrated Shipping Services will continue its slot charter agreement with Hapag-Lloyd in the trade and will also allow the German carrier to take space in the transatlantic section of its ZCS loop.
   At the same time, Hapag-Lloyd said it will cease taking space on CMA CGM’s weekly transatlantic Amerigo Express, replacing it with an agreement with Maersk Line between the East Mediterranean and the U.S. East Coast.