Evergreen, Zim ending Asia/U.S. East Coast loop

Evergreen, Zim ending Asia/U.S. East Coast loop Evergreen Line said its joint weekly Asia USA Express (AUX) service with Zim Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. will be terminated from the first quarter of next year with the Taipei carrier’s ships transferring to the Far East/Mediterranean trade.
   The AUX started in April 2003 and now uses eight ships — four from Evergreen and four from Zim — averaging about 4,500 TEUs. The port rotation of the service is Qingdao; Shanghai; Ningbo; Cristobal, Panama; Kingston, Jamaica; New York; Savannah, Ga.; Port Everglades, Fla.; Cristobal; and back to Qingdao.
   Start-up carrier Emirates Shipping Line started taking slots on the AUX in November 2006.
   A spokesman for Evergreen told Shippers’ NewsWire that its four ships on the AUX, the 4,334 TEUs Ital Mattina and Ital Massima together with the 5,100-TEU Ital Laguna and Ital Lirica will join its China-Adriatic (ADR) service that deploys seven ships of various sizes, ranging between 2,500 TEUs, 3,400 TEUs and 4,300 TEUs.