Maersk chooses Malta

Malta Freeport has announced that Maersk Line will relocate its central Mediterranean hub to Malta from Gioia Tauro in southern Italy and operate regular and scheduled services to its Port in early July 2011.


Malta Freeport, operated by CMA CGM, will tranship containers from Maersk Line’s Asia-Europe services onto feeder vessels serving Mediterranean ports. Maersk also will operate transhipment services under a vessel-sharing agreement with CMA CGM. These include the AE15 service that links the Mediterranean to the Middle East and Asia and the Westmed service connecting the Mediterranean to the US East Coast.


Seago Line, Maersk’s recently established pan-European feeder carrier, will also call Malta Freeport on the northbound and southbound legs of the Scanmed service linking Greece and Turkey to northern Europe and Scandinavia.


The Maltese transport ministry said the Maersk contract, won in the face of stiff competition from Mediterranean transhipment hubs, would secure the jobs of 1,200 port workers.


Separately, the ministry said the Freeport received a request from CMA CGM seeking consent to transfer half of the equity of the terminal from its subsidiary Terminal Link to Turkey’s Yildirim group.


“This request is being evaluated by Malta Freeport Corporation (the port landlord) prior to making a recommendation to government,” the ministry said. Yildirim, which paid US$500mfor a 20 % stake in CMA CGM in 2010, has said it agreed in principle to acquire 50% of the Malta Freeport terminal for approximately US$286m.
(Source:http://www.container-mag.com)