MSC and Maersk to Discontinue 2M Alliance in 2025

Jan. 25, 2023 - MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and Maersk A/S, an entity under A.P. Moller - Maersk, have mutually agreed to terminate, effective in January 2025, the present 2M alliance.

In a joint statement, CEO Vincent Clerc of A. P. Moller - Maersk, and CEO Soren Toft of MSC say: “MSC and Maersk recognize that much has changed since the two companies signed the 10-year agreement in 2015. Discontinuing the 2M alliance paves the way for both companies to continue to pursue their individual strategies.

“We have very much appreciated the partnership and look forward to a continued strong collaboration throughout the remainder of the agreement period. We remain fully committed to delivering on the 2M alliance’s services to customers of MSC and Maersk.”

Today’s announcement has no immediate impact on the services provided to customers using the 2M trades. Each company’s customer teams will communicate with their respective clients to support during, and beyond, the phase-out of the 2M alliance.

Background information about the 2M alliance:

• 2M is a container shipping line vessel sharing agreement (VSA)
• It was introduced in 2015 by Maersk and MSC with the aim of ensuring competitive and cost-efficient operations on the Asia-Europe, Transatlantic and Transpacific trades
• The 2M agreement has a minimum term of 10 years with a 2-year notice period of termination

SOURCE: MSC and Maersk

Wagenborg Orders Fourth EasyMax Vessel From Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard

Jan. 2, 2023 - Wagenborg Shipping and Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard have come to an agreement to start the construction of another 14,000 dwt EasyMax vessel. This fourth vessel in the EasyMax series is expected to be delivered in autumn 2024.

According to Wagenborg, the repeat order fits perfectly into the production process at the yard, as the construction of the third Easymax is currently in full swing. This sister ship of the MV ‘Egbert Wagenborg’ and MV ‘Máxima’ is expected to be delivered by the end of 2023.

EasyMax Concept

The EasyMax concept is a multi-purpose vessel with a cargo capacity of 14,000 tons and was jointly developed by Wagenborg and Niestern Sander. Wagenborg was awarded the KVNR Maritime Shipping Award in 2017 for this ship design, partly due to its superior fuel efficiency.

The Egbert Wagenborg and Máxima have more than proven themselves as sustainable and successful ship types and, together with her future sisters, will continue to contribute to Wagenborg Shipping's position as a leading multipurpose shipping company.

SOURCE: Wagenborg

Hapag-Lloyd Offers New Rail Link from Port of Virginia to US West Coast

April 29, 2022 - The Port of Virginia is the only US East Coast stop for ocean carrier Hapag-Lloyd’s reworked Mediterranean Gulf Coast Express (MGX) that will move cargo overland by rail to California via Virginia.

“This is an innovative decision by one of our long-time customers to take advantage of our efficiency and our rail reach into the Midwest,” said Stephen A. Edwards, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority. “It’s a unique service, but it is indicative of a very challenging trade environment. We welcomed the opportunity to be part of the solution for cargo owners on the West Coast.”

The service began operating in mid-April with arrival of the Synergy Antwerp at Norfolk International Terminals. Nearly 1,000 of the vessel’s containers were moved via Norfolk Southern to Chicago where they were switched to another rail carrier that moved them to the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland.

The weekly service employs eight Panamax vessels. The port call rotation is:

Livorno – Genoa – Barcelona – Valencia – Veracruz – Altamira – Houston – The Port of Virginia – Livorno.

Edwards said this is an important opportunity to introduce West Coast-based cargo owners and logistics companies to The Port of Virginia.

“Hapag-Lloyd is taking advantage of the present-day efficiencies here that are driven by a diverse, ultra-modern port complex that has an expansive rail reach,” Edwards said. “But what many companies on the West Coast may not realize is that we are investing $1.3 billion between now and 2025 to create more rail capacity, modernize and renovate two of our berths and convert them to an RMG operation (rail-mounted gantry), dredge our channels to 55 feet deep and widen them for two-way traffic of ultra-large container vessels. The Port of Virginia is building capacity for decades to come.”

In 2021, the Port of Virginia processed nearly 2 million containers and moved more than 640,000 of those units by rail.

SOURCE: Port of Viginia

New MSC ScanBaltic Service Makes First Call to The Port of Philadelphia

April 19, 2022 - On Thursday, April 14, PhilaPort welcomed the maiden call of a new ocean liner service to The Port of Philadelphia’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal. The container ship M/V Cornelia is part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) brand new ScanBaltic service.

MSC first announced the launch of the new weekly service connecting the ScanBaltic with the US East Coast in mid-March. MSC noted that it is the only carrier to provide a direct connection between the two regions, reducing transshipment for customers and providing expedited transit times.

The service offers Klaipeda to New York in 15 days; Gdynia in 13 days; and Goteborg to New York in 11 days, with no transshipment required between load and discharge ports, MSC said.

The new service gives U.S. shippers direct connections to Bremerhaven, Germany; Gothenburg, Sweden; and Klaipeda, Lithuania.

“A weekly Baltic call fits perfectly into our portfolio of services,” said Jeff Theobald, Executive Director & CEO of PhilaPort. “MSC is the largest container shipping company in the world. It is also the #1 carrier in The Port of Philadelphia. Cargoes to and from Germany are important. However, we are also excited that Scan Baltic gives us access to all the other Baltic countries for cargoes such as forest products and seafood.”

Philadelphia continues to play a major role in assisting international supply chains with alternate strategies to overcome worldwide logistics challenges.

“We are very thankful that we have additional capacity,” said Sean Mahoney, PhilaPort’s Director of Marketing. “Fortunately for us, we are adding space and equipment, which will allow many more services to call at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.

SOURCE: The Port of Philadelphia and MSC