Hapag-Lloyd to begin new service between Southern China and Europe

German container carrier Hapag-Lloyd said Feb.16 it will launch a two-port Southern China-to-Germany loop service, between Dachan Bay (Shenzhen) and Hamburg, on April 1 in a bid to better manage current market challenges.

The China-Germany Express service will sail on a weekly basis, with a transit time of 27 days. The service will use eight Panamax-class containerships.

"We have developed this new service for China-Germany relations that pays attention to addressing the current market challenges," said Andreas Buetfering, Hapag-Lloyd trade management director, in a statement. "Offering our customers a new and fast connection between China and Europe whilst at the same time reducing complexities and increasing reliability for them."

The Asia-Europe container trade has eased in recent weeks on the back of export slowdowns from Asian loading regions.

Platts Container Rate 1 – North Asia-to-North Continent – was assessed Feb. 16 at $14,500/FEU, down $500 against the month.