UASC, Hanjin replace two suspended services with one

UASC, Hanjin replace two suspended services with one Ocean carriers United Arab Shipping Co. and Hanjin Shipping said this week they will offer a service linking the U.S. East Coast, Mediterranean, Middle East and India by combining the ports covered in two existing services, which are due for suspension.
   From Jan. 8, the carriers will run a nine-vessel string of 4,000-TEU ships, with UASC providing six and Hanjin three.
   The new IMU service's port rotation includes Port Qasim, Nhava Sheva, Port Said, La Spezia, Barcelona, Valencia, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Valencia, Genoa, Port Said, Jeddah, Khor Fakkan, Jebel Ali, and Port Qasim.
   The IMU essentially replaces two services that will be abandoned in 2009. One is the MIX, which currently is operated with 11 2,000-TEU vessels (nine from UASC and two from Hanjin) between India and the Mediterranean. The other is the INX (or Sina) service, which uses eight ships (Hanjin, UASC, 'K' Line and Yang Ming each contribute two vessels) to link India with the U.S. East Coast.
   As reported in Monday's Shippers' NewsWire, the India-U.S. East Coast service is due to be terminated in early January. Hanjin said Wednesday that the service will actually stop at the end of December.
   'Hanjin Shipping believes that the combination of the existing services, MIX and INX, and also the introduction of larger and faster ships will upgrade their customer service by providing more vessel space and faster transit times in both directions,' the Korean carrier said in a statement.