Dubbed one of the biggest changes to affect Hong Kong port in years, Denmark container shipping line Maersk has announced it will cut its calls to the port by some 25 per cent from April, reports Reuters.
'Maersk Line anticipates a drop from 30 weekly calls to 22-23 weekly calls at Hong Kong,' Maersk China managing director Jens Eskelund told the news agency.
Maersk's Hong Kong business will be transferred to Guangzhou South China Oceangate Container Terminal, partly owned by Maersk affiliate APM Terminals, in the southern port of Nansha.
Maersk intends to create a third major gateway at Nansha to augment its South China gateway, the report said.
Southern Chinese ports, like Shenzhen and Guangzhou, are closer to manufacturing bases and offer cheaper handling costs than Hong Kong.
