APL opens agency company in Russia

APL opens agency company in Russia    Singapore-based APL is setting up a wholly owned Russian subsidiary that will handle the carrier's agency business in the region, effective April 1.
   The subsidiary, APL CIS, will replace third-party local agency company MCT Shipping Service.
   APL CIS has opened two offices in Russia initially, with a head office in St. Petersburg and a branch office in Moscow. Jan Mortensen will head up the company, reporting to Poul Kristensen, regional managing director for Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States.
   'We want to further increase our growing volumes and deliver the efficiency benefits we can achieve from having full management control,' Mortensen said.
   APL said it provides several services for Russia and the CIS via a range of entry points. In Europe, cargo moves through Baltic and Black Sea ports, connected to APL’s line-haul hubs in North Europe and the Mediterranean. In Asia, feeders between Vostochny and Busan link with APL’s transpacific and intra-Asia services and, from Vostochny, APL’s inland distribution network covers the Russian Far East. APL also offers services on the trans-Siberian railway for transit cargoes and destinations in the western part of Russia, the carrier said.