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
Feedertech, X-Press Feeders and Wan Hai have teamed up to launch a new Red Sea-Gulf-India (RGI)/India-Red Sea X-Press (IRX)/India Middle East 1 (IM1) service that connects Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Jebel Ali, Jeddah, Sokhna, Jeddah, Jebel Ali, Mundra from 15 January 2024. The RGI/IRX/IM1 service turns in 5 weeks using 5 ships of 1,800-3,200 teu with 2 ships each from Feedertech and X-Press (the 1,732 teu HANSA ROTENBURG and 2,824 teu ADDISON, together with the 3,158 teu X-PRESS ALTAIR and 2,756 teu
MSC has launched a new West Med to Red Sea service connecting Barcelona, Gioia Tauro, Mersin, Jeddah, King Abdullah Port, Port Said, Barcelona. The service turns in 3 to 4 weeks and will deploy up to 6 ships of 4,800-6,800 teu with the first sailing by the 6,724 teu MSC MELISSA on 14 January 2024.
Hapag-Lloyd has launched an ad hoc Jeddah Express (JDX) service connecting Tanger Med, Damietta, Jeddah, Damietta, Tanger Med to facilitate cargo connections to Jeddah that are affected by the Red Sea blockade since December 2023. The service will connect to Jeddah via the Suez Canal from the north, allowing it to avoid the Gulf of Aden. The 4,252 teu SEASPAN HAMBURG has been deployed on the JDX since 31 December 2023, with the 2,518 teu ZHONG GU XIONG AN joining the service on 29 January. The
The Asia Red Sea (AR1) service jointly operated by THE Alliance and Wan Hai will be suspended with the last westbound sailing to depart from Singapore on 31 January 2024. 4 ships are currently deployed on this service which typically turns in 7 weeks on the Red Sea route calling at Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, Jeddah, Singapore, Busan. The 5,610 teu WAN HAI 613 was the last ship to transit via the Gulf of Aden while 3 other ships (YM MUTUALITY, YM MODERAT