The United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is now in the big league after accepting delivery of the 13,500-TEU UASC Umm Salal, the first of nine same-size vessels from South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries, Exim News Service informs. "The delivery of the Umm Salal is a very important moment for us in the east-west trades," said UASC Chief Executive, Mr Jorn Hinge, reported American Shipper. "These bigger ships will reduce our per TEU costs and make us a stronger competitor. We know that high levels of utilisation will be required if we are to benefit from the economy of scale these ships offer.
"The other ships in the order, to be delivered before June of next year, each have reefer capacity of 1,600-TEU and will be deployed on UASC's AEC8, launched in March this year with China Shipping Container Line, CMA CGM and Evergreen, serving Chinese and Malaysian ports with links to Le Havre, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Zeebrugge.
"When the full fleet of nine vessels has been delivered, however, UASC will use its latest newbuildings to establish a standalone service covering the Europe/Asia trades, with direct calls in the Middle East, the company's core market," said Mr Hinge. |
