New bond for Hapag-Lloyd 
Germany's container line Hapag-Lloyd has placed a bond with a volume of EUR 250 million with institutional investors. The five-year bond pays a coupon of 7.75% and was several times oversubscribed. The emission price was 100%. The proceeds of the bond will be used for general... more
Unifeeder acquires United Feeder Services
The Unifeeder Group has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire United Feeder Services (UFS). The two companies will offer a comprehensive feeder network in Europe, with a wide coverage of ports in both Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Unifeeder and UFS will... more
Irish port and shipping sector expands
Shipping activity in Ireland rose by 11% in Q2/2013 compared to the same period last year, according to the Irish Maritime Development Office's iShip Index, a country-based shipping index. A surge in animal feed imports and a significant rise in freight carried on ferries... more
New Central Asian port 
The port of Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan) is set to undergo major expansion. In addition to the export of oil and gas the government is particularly aiming to boost the export of textiles. more
MOL remains in sustainability index
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has again been selected for inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the Asia-Pacific region. The DJSI comprise the world’s major indices, focusing on the performance of the world's biggest sustainability-driven companies. This month,... more
No harm in competition
Last year the port of Khalifa assumed responsibility from the old port of Mina Zayed for the shipment of all containers to and from Abu Dhabi. An adjacent industrial zone is expected to generate additional traffic in future and thus strengthen the port’s position. more
Evergreen and Hanjin merge on transpacific trade
The South Korean shipping line Hanjin and Taiwan's Evergreen Line are set to merge their respective transpacific loops from the Far East to the US west coast. As the low season will shortly arrive, the CPS2 and CAX will become one joint offer from the second... more
PSA and ICTSI to build new Colombian port
PSA International and International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) have signed an agreement to enable them to jointly develop, construct and operate the container port terminal and ancillary facilities located in the Peninsula of Aguadulce (Colombia). The agreement... more
EU facilitates Business to Motorways of the Sea
22 partners and five implementing bodies from Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, Germany and the UK have joined forces for the Business to Motorways of the Sea (B2MOS) project, co-financed by the Trans-European Transport Network and with the participation of DG-MOVE. The project... more
Drewry says shipping costs are set to fall
Container shipping costs have continued to rise, but the trend has differed across trades, and Drewry expects rates to fall in the final months of the year. Pricing on Asia-origin trades has been buoyed by peak season volumes, but as the trade enters the shoulder season still... more