HAMBURG-SUD TO DEPLOY BIGGEST BOX SHIPS IN U.S./SOUTH AMERICA TRADES

HAMBURG-SUD TO DEPLOY BIGGEST BOX SHIPS IN U.S./SOUTH AMERICA TRADES

   Hamburg-Sud, the parent company of Columbus Line, Crowley American Transport, Alianca and other shipping lines, said that its new 3,800-TEU containerships under construction will be deployed in the U.S./East Coast of South America trade, starting next year.

   The ships will be the largest in the East Coast of South America trades. Hamburg-Sud, its affiliates and joint service partners have used ships ranging from 1,400 TEUs to about 2,700 TEUs in the major trade between the U.S. and South American east coasts, according to World Liner Supply, a reporting service of the ComPairData liner shipping database.

   Five of the six new 3,800-TEU ships will be delivered in 2001 and the sixth will enter service in February 2002.

   “Deployment of these container ships, which will not only be the largest in the trade but also within the (Hamburg-Sud) shipping group, is not planned as an addition to capacity on these routes,” a spokesman for the German shipping group said.

   Hamburg-Sud and its joint service partners are considering a restructuring of their three-loop inter-Americas service, the company said. “The aim is to offset the additional capacity of the newbuildings by withdrawing a larger number of small vessels, thus avoiding overcapacity in this trade,” Hamburg-Sud said.

   The deployment of ships of nearly 4,000 TEUs in a north/south trade will be seen as a significant change in the liner shipping world, where such large vessels have previously operated only on the high-volume east/west trades. In the north/south trade from Europe and North America to Australia, P&O Nedlloyd and Contship Containerlines are planning to deploy the first of a series of 10 new 4,100-TEU ships during 2002.