Three new units nearby 
The Naples-headquartered Grimaldi Group opens the new year 2021 with an enhancement of its fleet. The delivery of the “Eco Barcelona” took place in early January, while two more vessels with different specifications, the “Grande Texas” and the “Eco Livorno”, will join Grimaldi’s... more
ZIM to go public
After first initiatives from mid-2019 on, the Haifa-based shipping company ZIM confirmed its plan to go public. Amongst others, the carrier recently published a prospectus ahead of an initial public offering (IPO) on the New York Stock Exchange, which is intended to take place... more
Movement kicks in 
The RCEP free-trade zone established on 15 November (‘only’ online, due to Covid-19) directly affects almost a third of the world’s population. New moves in the China trade have already been initiated now, before the expected Far Eastern trade rejuvenation. more
A lack of containers
Boxes aren’t always just where you need them – sometimes they are stored for too long, for example in Asia or North America. There are bottlenecks in Europe too, however. A Gothenburg initiative is now turning the tables. more
The Alliance – January sailing schedule
The Alliance, the shipping consortium made up of ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, Yang Ming and HMM, has adjusted its sailings in January to meet the needs of the new global shipping situation. Departures in almost every trade are disrupted to a greater or lesser extent; the details are... more
ICTSI Pakistan welcomes CWX service
The port of Karachi’s Pakistan International Container Terminal (PICT), owned by International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI), recently welcomed the inaugural call of a China–India link. The China–Indian west coast X-Press service (CWX), which is operated by Xpress... more
Stockholm Norvik Port now fully open
A major new port opened on time and on budget in Sweden recently – despite the pandemic. The entire Stockholm Norvik Port, run by Ports of Stockholm, is now operational; its container terminal opened in May and its ro-ro terminal in November.Ports of Stockholm chief commercial... more
New feeder service via Le Havre
A new weekly direct connection between the French port of Le Havre, part of Haropa Ports, and maritime hubs in Russia and Finland, started this morning. Cosco Shipping has reacted to recent experiences in British ports by making Le Havre central to its RFS4 shortsea... more
Lack of containers is complex, says Drewry
The maritime consultancy Drewry reports that container shipping remains disrupted by box equipment shortages which are restricting available capacity and so forcing freight rates to record highs. However, the analysis shows that this is being driven by empty container... more
MSC carries on both shoulders
Recently, Alphaliner pointed out that MSC is currently investing heavily in used vessels instead of newbuilds. In its race with Maersk over the title of the biggest global carrier, MSC has spent over a quarter of a billion dollars on second-hand container vessels. Based on... more