Hanjin, UASC enter West Africa/Med trade

Hanjin, UASC enter West Africa/Med trade    Hanjin Shipping and United Arab Shipping Co. said Thursday they will partner on a service linking West Africa with Valencia.
   It's the first service for both carriers between Africa and Europe, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   The service, dubbed WAF, is scheduled to start March 1 and has a rotation of Valencia, Lagos, Cotonou, Tema, Abidjan and Valencia. Hanjin and UASC will each provide one 1,700-TEU vessel on the service.
   In April, the service will move from Valencia to another port in Spain, Algeciras, where Hanjin is opening a new dedicated terminal.
   The new service would seem to be set up to break the stronghold that Maersk Line and CMA CGM have on the West Africa/Mediterranean trade. Maersk, along with subsidiary Safmarine, operates four services linking similar West African ports to Algeciras, while CMA CGM and subsidiary Delmas operates two. Zim also operates a two-ship service between West Africa and several Med ports, with COSCO as a slot buyer.
   Meanwhile, the Korean carrier said it would continue to look for new partnerships with other carriers — it's part of the CKYH Alliance with COSCO Container Lines, 'K' Line and Yang Ming.
   'Hanjin Shipping is continuing to seek opportunities to cooperate with partner carriers in service-launching and more in order to satisfy the various needs of its customers,' the carrier said in a statement.