CSAV Norasia will launch a new service between China and the West Mediterranean. The Mare Nostrum Service (MNS) will commence on March 18, 2010. The service rotation will include the following ports: Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Port Kelang, Malta, Genoa, Fos, Barcelona, Valencia, Malta, and Jeddah.

To further improve its services to the Black Sea, CSAV Norasia will start a weekly feeder service from Istanbul. Ports of call for The Black Sea Link (BSL) will include Novorossiysk, Russia and Poti, Georgia. Directly operated by CSAV, BSL will complement existing direct calls of the ABS Service, improving connectivity and transit times to the main markets within the Black Sea.

Hanjin Shipping is pleased to announce its West Africa service with UASC. Effective March 1, 2010, this service will be running between Valencia, Lagos, Cotonou, Tema and Abidjan. In addition, Hanjin Shipping reveals that they are planning to change the calling port from Valencia to Algeciras this coming April.

CSAV is pleased to introduce its new Orinoco Service, which will make weekly direct calls in Cartagena and Puerto Cabello. This will provide new opportunities for connections with main CSAV Group Services, including the Joint Caribbean, Euroandes, Americas, Gulf Bridge Express and Mediterranean services. Customers can expect better transit times for cargo to and from Venezuela via Cartagena.

International Freighting Weekly is reporting today that deep sea carrier CMA CGM is expected to pull out of the red, and break even in December, thanks to a combination of cost-cutting measures they've implemented, and a rebound in shipping rates and volume.

To improve transit times, the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced that it will make some changes to its Golden Gate Service (GGS USAEC/Far East). The route previously included the Cape of Good Hope, but will now travel via the Suez Canal. In addition, Jeddah will be added as a port of call. There, MSC's dedicated feeder vessels will provide connections to all major ports in the Red Sea, Jebel Ali, and all other Gulf and Middle East ports.

With new opportunities for foreign trade in Iraq, importers and exporters are calling for more reliable cargo transport services to neighboring countries. In response, Maersk Line has created a new dedicated feeder service between Jebel Ali and Umm Qasar (South Port terminal). The service will also include Kuwaiti-operated terminal services dedicated to Maersk Line. Operation will commence in mid-November.

APL has announced the launch of the Japan-Thailand-Vietnam (JTV) Service. Port rotation will include the following locations: Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, Chiwan, Hong Kong, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City, Kaohsiung. This service will enable both importers and exporters to access APL's global mainline services network via Hong Kong and Kaohsiung. Shippers can also tap into the Philippines market with faster connections with Kaohsiung.

In order to widen their coverage of the Middle East, Maersk Line will add port calls to several of its Asia-Europe services. The following changes will take place in mid-December:

Evergreen Line and China Shipping will commence a joint weekly service linking ports in Asia to locations in the American and Canadian Pacific Northwest. The PNW Service will call the following ports: Ningbo, Shanghai, Kaohsiung, Nansha, Hong Kong, Yantian, Pusan, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, Tokyo, and Osaka.