HAMBURG-SUD, COLUMBUS DEFER DEPLOYMENT OF NEW 3,800-TEU SHIPS
The Hamburg-Sud shipping group, the parent company of Columbus Line, Alianca and Crowley American Transport, has decided to postpone the deployment of new ships of 3,800-TEU capacity intended for the U.S./East Coast of South America trade.
Instead of joining the Hamburg-Sud’s liner services, the first three of the series of six big ships will be placed on charter with other shipping lines, until their eventual deployment in the inter-America container trade in about September.
On Monday, the first of the six new 3,800-TEU containerships was due to be christened at the Samsung Heavy Industries yard in Korea. The Cap San Nicholas will be chartered to CMA CGM for about eight months. The next ship in the series, due to be delivered at the end of March, will also be used by CMA CGM under a charter agreement. This will be followed by the short-term chartering out for the third 3,800-TEU vessel ordered by Hamburg-Sud.
Five of the new sisterships will be delivered this year, followed by the sixth vessel in February 2002.
Hamburg-Sud said that it plans to deploy the new ships, as a group, in the East Coast inter-American trade.
When deployed, the 22.5-knot 3,800-TEU vessels will the largest containerships in the U.S./East Coast of South America trade. Hamburg-Sud currently uses ships of up to 2,442-TEU capacity, according to ComPairData, the global liner shipping database at http://www.compairdata.com.