Newly formed Saudi based Folk Maritime has launched the Port Sudan Service (PSS) connecting Jeddah, Port Sudan, Jeddah with the 698 teu SUNSET X from 5 April 2024. The service turns in 4-5 days with Maersk and CMA CGM taking slots to provide regular connections between Saudi Arabia and Sudan. The new PSS as well the North Red Sea (NRS) service operated in cooperation with CMA CGM are the first 2 services launched by Folk Maritime. Folk Maritime was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 26 Fe
Global port congestion worsened over the past week with a sharp increase in berthing delays at ports in North Asia and Southeast Asia. Waiting times have increased across all key main port in the Far East including Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Singapore and Port Klang where waiting times of up to 3 days have been recorded. There has been no increase in port congestion in the US, with East Coast ports largely unaffected by the shutdown at the port of Baltimore. Cargo has been diverted mostly to Norf
Folk Maritime will team up with CMA CGM to launch a new North Red Sea (NRS)/North Red Sea Express (NRX) service from 9 April 2024. The NRS/NRX will call at Jeddah, Neom, Sokhna, Aqaba, Yanbu, Jeddah using 2 ships of 1,600-2,000 teu, starting with the Folk Maritime chartered 2,045 teu JIN SHUN HE, followed a week later by the 1,641 teu APL SAIPAN from CMA CGM. Folk Maritime is a new carrier established on 26 February 2024 in Riyadh to operate feeder and short sea services connecting ports in S
Peak Shipping, the Xiamen based affiliate of Summit Shipping, has launched a new China-Yemen Express (CYE) service connecting Ningbo, Shekou, Port Klang, Aden, Djibouti with the 713 teu JI ZHE 2 from 28 January 2024. Summit Shipping Line was established in Singapore in October 2019 as a subsidiary of the Xiamen Port Group. It operated initially as a NVOCC (Non-Vessel Owning Common Carrier) using slots from common feeder and linehaul operators in the Intra-Asia and South Asia routes. It began it
Conflicting signals abound in a market looking for fresh directions, with freight rates continuing to slide as the SCFI dropped by 4.7% last week bringing the cumulative decline to 15.8% since its January peak. However, charter rates continue to firm while second hand vessel prices are still rising as demand for tonnage remains high. The recent freight rate correction has not deterred new entrants, with another Chinese carrier set to launch a transpacific service in March. Total containership
Medkon and Turkon have launched a new service connecting Turkey with the Red Sea from 3 March 2024. The new service is branded as Red Sea Express Service/Türkiye Red Sea Service (RSX/TRS) respectively by Medkon and Turkon to call at Iskenderun, Mersin, Jeddah, Aqaba, Iskenderun. The service will turn in 2 weeks using 2 ships of 1,100 teu starting with the 1,131 teu LEYLA KALKAVAN on 3 March 2024 followed by the 1,134 teu MEDKON PERLA will start on 13 March 2024.
The number of containerships diverted from the Suez to the Cape route has rebounded to a record high of 403 units for 5.14m TEU as at 25 February 2024. The recent surge was partly due to CMA CGM’s decision to reroute from the Red Sea since 1 February 2024 even though the French carrier has backtracked since then with the 16,022 teu CMA CGM JULES VERNE making an eastbound Red Sea passage last week, with a second ship (the 14,414 teu CMA CGM T. ROOSEVELT) scheduled to follow later this week despit
Sidra Line has launched a new Turkey Red Sea (TRS) service from 10 February 2024 connecting Izmit, Ambarli, Iskenderun, Sokhna, Jeddah, Aden, Jeddah, Izmit. The service turns in 23 days and will deploy the 1,471 teu SIDRA AHLAM.
Global port congestion picked up last week with rising waiting times observed in Chinese ports ahead of the Chinese New Year, with the longest delays seen at Ningbo where waiting times have stretched to 3 days, with shorter delays seen in Qingdao, Shanghai and some of the main Pearl River Delta ports. Delays at Australian ports remain high at up to 10 days at Brisbane, with slightly shorter delays also seen at Melbourne and Sydney. Congestion at North American ports is limited with LA/LB and N
CMA CGM has launched a new Red Sea Med Express (REDEX) to connect the Red Sea ports of Aqaba and Jeddah to 5 key transhipment hubs in the Med. The REDEX will call at Aqaba, Jeddah, Tanger Med, Algeciras, Malta, Alexandria, Damietta, Aqaba. The 4,404 teu CMA CGM PUGET made the inaugural call on the REDEX for an ad hoc trip from Alexandria, Malta to Aqaba and Jeddah before settling into the regular REDEX port rotation. The service will turn in 28 days using 4 ships of 3,000-4,400 teu. The new s