LLOYD TRIESTINO, EVERGREEN TRANSFER BIG SHIPS TO ASIA/EUROPE TRADE

LLOYD TRIESTINO, EVERGREEN TRANSFER BIG SHIPS TO ASIA/EUROPE TRADE    The Italian shipping line Lloyd Triestino and its parent company Evergreen Line are transferring a series of large 25-knot post-Panamax container vessels to their joint China Europe Mediterranean service.
   The China Europe Mediterranean service has used 10 ships of 2,700 to 3,000-TEU capacity, operating at around 20 knots. Those ships will be replaced by eight 5,364-TEU “U-class” vessels.
   'The first sailing of the expanded Asia/Europe service is scheduled for Aug. 21, with the departure of the “LT Ursula” from Shanghai.
   The rotation of the service remains Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Gioia Tauro, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Thamesport, Zeebrugge, Gioia Tauro, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
   A spokesman for Lloyd Triestino said the deployment of the 25-knot ships will substantially reduce transit times between Asia and Europe. For example, the transit time from Hong Kong to Rotterdam will be 19 days instead of 27 days.
   The revised China Europe Mediterranean service also provides Lloyd Triestino with increased capacity and improved transit times for its transshipment service between Europe and Australia. The company relays cargo over Singapore.
   The deployment of the 5,364-TEU ships on the Asia/Europe route will expand the capacity of Lloyd Triestino and Evergreen by about 40 percent between Asia and northern Europe. Besides the China Europe Mediterranean loop, Evergreen’s and Lloyd Triestino’s Asia/northern Europe services include their westbound and eastbound round-the-world services, with ships of about 4,200-TEU capacity.
   Six of the eight vessels have been operated by Evergreen on the Pacific trade as part of the carrier’s Hong Kong/Taiwan/U.S. West Coast and Trans-Pacific Northwest services. The other two vessels are new, to be delivered by November.
   In the Pacific trade, Evergreen is expected to retonnage its Hong Kong/Taiwan/U.S. West Coast service by replacing 5,364-TEU vessels by smaller vessels, thereby reducing capacity.