Hapag-Lloyd to suspend N.Y./Antwerp shuttle

Hapag-Lloyd to suspend N.Y./Antwerp shuttle    Liner carrier Hapag-Lloyd said Thursday it is suspending its recently introduced shuttle service between Antwerp and New York from December.
   The AES service, started in September, currently has offered nine-day transit times in both directions. Hapag-Lloyd operates it with three vessels with average capacity of 2,716 TEUs, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data. The German line's partners in the Grand Alliance — OOCL and NYK Container Line — buy slots on the service, as do Hyundai Merchant Marine and Hamburg S'd.
   'The exact timing of the reintroduction of the service will be based on close monitoring of the market,' Hapag-Lloyd said in a statement. 'During the winter program Hapag-Lloyd will continue to ship committed volumes on one of the other Hapag-Lloyd services covering the North Atlantic trade.'
   The last westbound sailing will be Dec. 14 and the last eastbound sailing will be Dec. 18.