MORE CARRIERS ENTER CROWDED U.S./MEDITERRANEAN TRADE

MORE CARRIERS ENTER CROWDED U.S./MEDITERRANEAN TRADE    The U.S./Mediterranean trade will see three new ocean carriers in the next few months, as Lloyd Triestino, the Italian shipping line owned by the Evergreen group, confirmed a plan to enter the market this summer.
   Hapag-Lloyd recently made an agreement with Lykes Lines to enter the trade within weeks, by    taking space on Lykes’ Mediterranean/Gulf/U.S. South Atlantic service.
   And “K” Line will commence in early May a Mediterranean/U.S. East Coast service, in cooperation with China Ocean Shipping Co. and Yangming.
   A spokesman for Lloyd Triestino in Trieste, Italy, said that no final decision has been made about the launch of its service, but that the company has already set up a U.S. organization, LT America Corp., in Delaware. Details of Lloyd Triestino’s new Atlantic service are unknown.
   Traditionally, Lloyd Triestino, formerly owned by the Italian state, specialized in the Europe/Asia/Australasia and Europe/Africa trades, while its former sister company Italia ran transatlantic services. But both companies have been privatized and are now free to compete in their choice of respective trades.
   It is expected that Lloyd Triestino will cooperate with parent company Evergreen in the U.S./Mediterranean trade. At present, Evergreen takes slots on U.S./ Mediterranean leg of the “AMA” Asia/Mediterranean/U.S. East Coast service of Hanjin Shipping, DSR-Senator, Cho Yang and United Arab Shipping Co., with a rotation of New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Valencia, La Spezia, Gioia Tauro, Asian ports, Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Marseilles-Fos, Valencia, New York, Norfolk and Savannah.
   The Lykes Mediterranean/U.S. service on which Hapag-Lloyd will take space currently has a rotation of Miami, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans, Charleston, Valencia, Barcelona, Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Miami, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans, Charleston.
   There are currently more than 25 liner operators in the
Mediterranean/North America trade, according to ComPairData, the global shipping database on the Internet at www.compairdata.com. The main carriers are Canada Maritime, Cast, Cho Yang, CMA CGM, Contship Containerlines, COSCO, DSR-Senator, Evergreen, Farrell Lines, Hanjin Shipping, Italia, Lykes, Maersk Sealand, Metz Container Line, Mediterranean Shipping Co., National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia, P&O Nedlloyd, TMM Lines, Turkon, United Arab Shipping Co., Yangming and Zim.
   Comparative information on the transit times of all the liner services for the Mediterranean/North America trade is posted on www.compairschedules.com.