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Hapag-Lloyd adds new service to its North Sea-Baltic network

HAPAG-LLOYD will commence in September a dedicated service linking Antwerp and Rotterdam with the Baltic as part of its North Europe short sea network, which includes five short seas services for the Baltic region.

The port rotation for the weekly service, branded NBS, is: Antwerp, Rotterdam, Gdynia, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Gdynia, Antwerp, AJOT reported.

The carrier will operate the NBS with two of its own highest ice class vessels which have a capacity of 2,500 TEU. The first sailing from Antwerp will be on September 6.

As a result of the combination of the Hapag-Lloyd and UASC business, the launch of the NBS is necessary in order to ensure a fast and reliable connection with the entire new Hapag-Lloyd network to and from the Baltic.

SeaIntel said looking at the demand side, data from Container Trade Statistics has shown steady growth on the Asia-Europe trades, with first quarter of this year recording growth of 4.9 per cent year on year and the second quarter anticipated to rise by four to five per cent year on year.

"Altogether, this bodes well for the Asia-Europe carriers. Nevertheless, based on SeaIntel's Trade Capacity Outlook report, we are observing a substantial planned growth in capacity supplied on the trade lane, which will inevitably have to be adjusted to demand, if carriers wish to maintain the current market balance," the analyst noted.

It was unlikely the Asia-Europe trade would be able to absorb the large-scale upscaling of vessel sizes without reducing services. However, SeaIntel said this would raise some other issues. Carriers could choose to inject some of the new large vessels into other trades, but this would lead to an even greater need to reduce the number of services in those trades that would be shorter and smaller than Asia-Europe.