Maersk Line has revealed that it is making a number of adjustments to its trade lines between Asia and Europe to enhance its services.
Changes include an improved direct north and east china service to Turkey and the Black Sea, a service from Shanghai to Hamburg and Bremerhaven in 24 and 22 days respectively, and a new direct service from Korea and north China to Hamburg.
'We are pleased that, even in the face of challenging times, we can continue to develop our services and provide new opportunities for our customers,' said Lee Sissons, director of Maersk Line's Asia-Europe services. 'We are continuously optimising our network and looking for ways to make our operations more cost effective and competitive.'
The AE1 rotation will add Salalah in Oman and remove the Singapore call from its service, allowing the introduction of a direct eastbound service between Hamburg and Salalah. Hamburg will also be added to the AE2 service, along with Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia.
Turkey and Black Sea coverage is enhanced by the addition of Evyap to the group's AE3 service, improving north and east China coverage to the country.
Meanwhile, AE6 will be rerouted to sail eastbound from Europe via the Cape of Good Hope to Asia, and Le Havre will be added to the eastbound rotation of the AE10 service.
Maersk Line had recently announced a Europe to Asia freight rate rise in response to an increase in trade, with a jump in general commodity rates of US$25 per TEU on 1 March and 1 April, for a total rise of US$50.
