The Ocean Carrier Connection
Inbound Logistics sets its sails on some of the industry’s top players
Responding to the varied needs of global shippers, ocean freight carriers are evolving their intermodal and service capabilities, adding depth to existing trade lanes, and penetrating emerging markets—and they are doing it in unique and innovative ways.
Some ocean transport companies are investing in and expanding their fleets to include ‘greenships’ that are more fuel efficient and sensitive to the environment; others are taking a more strategic approach by utilizing smaller and faster vessels—and fewer port of calls—to streamline time-to-market. Carriers are working together and initiating alliances to rationalize assets and services to provide a more connected global delivery network.
As an industry, they have also developed a full plate of online shipping and tracking tools to help customers facilitate the complexities of coordinating ocean freight moves.
With these innovations and evolutions, global shippers are pushing ocean-shipping companies into uncharted waters. And carriers are up to the task.
Here is the lowdown on some leading ocean freight carriers.
APL
800-999-7733
PARENT COMPANY: NOL Group
LOGISTICS DIVISION: APL Logistics
ABOUT APL: Global container transportation company APL offers 60-plus weekly services and nearly 300 calls at more than 90 ports in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.
WEB TOOLS: Customizable sailing schedules, bill of lading instructions, track and trace, online bookings, exception-based management tools
FLEET SIZE: 100 vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Supplier of the Year—General Motors, 2006; Consolidator of the Year—Target, 2006; Best Customer Service—Limited, 2006
WHAT’S NEW: LinerTrain services in the Trans-Pacific market, expediting shipments to inland destinations in North America with synchronized, timely ocean/rail connections.
China Shipping Container Lines
201-490-8658
PARENT COMPANY: China Shipping (Group) Company
ABOUT CHINA SHIPPING: Headquartered in Shanghai, China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) provides container transportation, storage, transshipment, declaration services, and customs clearance. Established in 1997, CSCL ranks as the world’s sixth-largest container shipping company in terms of operating capacity. Its North American unit, China Shipping North America (CSNA), operates offices in seven U.S. cities and provides vessel-husbanding services for all China Shipping vessels entering U.S. ports.
WEB TOOLS: Sailing schedules, cargo tracing, eBrochure, EDI
FLEET SIZE: 148 vessels
WHAT’S NEW: CSCL’s Asia-Mediterranean Express 4 (AMX4) service operates eight 4,350-TEU vessels starting from Dalian. The AMX4 marks the carrier’s first dedicated service to the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, and the western Mediterranean, with its own tonnage.
Crowley
800-CROWLEY
PARENT COMPANY: Crowley Maritime Corporation
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Crowley Logistics
ABOUT CROWLEY: Oakland-based Crowley Maritime Corporation, founded in 1892, provides diversified transportation and logistics services in domestic and international markets by means of four operating lines of business: Liner Services; Logistics Services; Petroleum Services; and Marine Services. Within these units it offers contract towing and transportation, ship assistance and escort services, energy support, salvage and emergency response, vessel management, and petroleum and chemical transportation, distribution, and sales.
WEB TOOLS: Track and trace, tariff retrieval, e-bill of lading registration, 24-hour manifest schedule, downloadable shipping documents, booking and rate requests
FLEET SIZE: 280 vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Toyota Logistics Service Awards for Outstanding Customer Service and Quality; Sears Partner in Progress; Payless Shoe’s International Partnership Award
WHAT’S NEW: Crowley’s Speed to Market program leverages the proximity of Central America and the Caribbean with frequent, fast, and direct vessel services for apparel and reefer shippers and others seeking to get products to market faster.
Evergreen Marine Corp.
201-761-3000
PARENT COMPANY: Evergreen Group
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Evergreen America Corp.
ABOUT EVERGREEN: Evergreen, which commenced container services worldwide more than 31 years ago, combines intermodal transportation options with the latest advancements in environmental excellence to meet and exceed global standards.
WEB TOOLS: Electronic sailing schedules, tariff services, cargo tracking, e-booking, EDI
FLEET SIZE: 150+ vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Best Shipping Line—Intra Asia, Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards 2006; E-commerce Excellence award, LOG-NET, 2004
WHAT’S NEW: The development of new “greenships’ that go beyond existing as well as soon-to-be-introduced international environmental requirements.
Hamburg Sud
888 930-7447
PARENT COMPANY: The Oetker Group
ABOUT HAMBURG SUD: Hamburg Sud is a north-south carrier that specializes in handling temperature-sensitive cargo. The company’s containership services link North America, South America, Asia, Australia/NZ and the Pacific Islands, South Africa, the Mediterranean, India, and Pakistan. Its global office network is positioned to serve shippers in key markets worldwide, linked by an advanced communications network.
WEB TOOLS: Sailing schedules, booking, document management, track and trace, shipping instructions, bill of lading printouts
FLEET SIZE: 90 containerships (26 owned/64 chartered), and 56 tramp vessels (1 owned and 55 chartered)
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association’s Top Latin American Ocean Carrier and Top South Pacific Carrier, 2006
WHAT’S NEW: Hamburg Sud’s acquisition of Fesco Ocean Management Ltd., a subsidiary of the Far Eastern Shipping Company PLC, has added liner services in its Asia—Australia, Asia -New Zealand, and Australia/New Zealand—U.S. West Coast lanes.
Hatsu Marine
201-761-3000
PARENT COMPANY: Evergreen Group
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Evergreen America Corp.
ABOUT HATSU MARINE: Hatsu Marine was established in London in January 2002. Through slot-share agreements it offers a broad range of services embracing Europe, Asia, and North America. The company continues to develop new markets in North Europe—particularly in the new EU member countries and Russia—as well as investigate new regional/feeder services and alliances with other North European ocean carriers.
WEB TOOLS: Electronic sailing schedules, tariff services, cargo tracking, e-booking, EDI
FLEET SIZE: 11 owned vessels; space charters offer additional slots
CUSTOMER AWARDS: The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade, 2006
WHAT’S NEW: Two post-Panamax container vessels. The 8,063-TEU C-type vessel Hatsu Crystal has been phased into the Evergreen Group’s CEM service linking China with North Europe and the Mediterranean. The 7,024-TEU S-type vessel Hatsu Smile has entered service on the WAE route, linking the West Coast of North America, Asia, and North Europe.
Horizon Lines LLC
877-678-7447
PARENT COMPANY: Horizon Lines Inc.
ABOUT HORIZON LINES: Horizon Lines is a leading Jones Act container shipping and logistics company accounting for approximately 36 percent of total U.S. marine container shipments between the continental United States and three non-contiguous Jones Act markets—Alaska, Hawaii/ Guam, and Puerto Rico.
WEB TOOLS: Schedules, booking, bills of lading, track and trace
FLEET SIZE: 16 vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Wal-Mart’s Carrier of the Year Award for the Jones Act trades, 2005; two Logistics Excellence Awards for On-Time Performance and Customer Service in the Export Marine category, Toyota Logistics Services, 2005; The Lowe’s Companies Inc.’s Outstanding Ocean Service Provider, 2005
WHAT’S NEW: Horizon Lines will lease five U.S.-flag container vessels commencing in 2007. The vessels have a capacity of 2,824 TEUs and are capable of a 23-knots service speed. Horizon Lines will operate the vessels in its expanded TP1 service from the U.S. West Coast to Guam and Asia.
Hyundai Merchant Marine
877-7-HYUNDAI
PARENT COMPANY: Hyundai Business Group
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Harbor and Logistics Department within HMM, and Hyundai Intermodal Inc.
ABOUT HMM: Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), founded in 1976, is one of the world’s largest multimodal marine transportation companies, with a fleet of vessels including full container carriers, LNG carriers, oil tankers, and bulk carriers. HMM plans to invest in the establishment of container terminals and inland logistics facilities to further grow its multimodal capabilities.
WEB TOOLS: 24/7 access to shipment information and schedules, bookings, bill of lading processing and printing
FLEET SIZE: 119+ vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Carrier of the Year, Target Corporation, 2006; Global Partnership Carrier, Sony Electronics Company, 2005; and Carrier of the Year, Best Buy, 2005
WHAT’S NEW: HMM’s China-India Express service enables it to provide direct services between North China and India.
Italia Marittima
(+39) 040-3180111
PARENT COMPANY: Evergreen Group
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Evergreen America Corp.
ABOUT ITALIA MARITTIMA: Italia Marittima S.p.a. is the new global identity for Lloyd Triestino S.p.a., which was established more than 160 years ago. The carrier operates a global network with services linking North Europe and the Mediterranean with the Far East, South Africa, and Australia, while connecting Asia to Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Australia.
WEB TOOLS: Electronic sailing schedules, tariff services, cargo tracking, e-booking, EDI
FLEET SIZE: 9 vessels
WHAT’S NEW: A service that links the ports of Shanghai, Yantian, and Hong Kong with the Panamanian hub Colon Container Terminal, Savannah, and Miami. Also, new transatlantic service with Zim, calling the North European ports of Antwerp, Hamburg, and Liverpool and New York, Norfolk, and Savannah.
Maersk Line
800-321-8807
PARENT COMPANY: A.P. Moller Maersk Group
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Maersk Logistics USA
ABOUT MAERSK LINE: With a fleet of more than 550 container vessels and more than 1.4 million containers, Maersk Line provides comprehensive worldwide coverage. Maersk’s feeder vessels, trucks, and dedicated trains enable door-to-door service.
WEB TOOLS: Booking creation and management, tracking, schedules, shipping instructions, documentation verification and printing, statements and invoices, rate inquiries and requests
FLEET SIZE: 550+ vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Best Global Shipping Line, 20th Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards, 2006
WHAT’S NEW: A pilot program that will eliminate vessel-related emissions by switching to low-sulfur fuel.
Matson
800-4MATSON
PARENT COMPANY: Alexander & Baldwin
LOGISTICS DIVISION: Matson Integrated Logistics
ABOUT MATSON: Founded in 1882 and incorporated in 1901, Matson Navigation Company is the principal carrier of containerized freight and automobiles between the West Coast and Hawaii, Guam, and the Mid-Pacific. Matson subsidiaries Matson Integrated Logistics and Matson Terminals offer domestic and international intermodal rail service, long-haul and regional highway services, and international air freight to the North American market.
WEB TOOLS: Booking, tracking, EDI, billing instructions, freight payment, vessel schedules
FLEET SIZE: 17 vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: U.S. Coast Guard Benkert Award for Environmental Excellence, 2006
WHAT’S NEW: Matson’s China-Long Beach Express uses smaller and faster vessels from Ningbo and Shanghai to Long Beach, Calif. The 11-day transit time from Shanghai to Long Beach is further strengthened by next-day cargo service, leveraging Matson Integrated Logistics’ inland distribution capabilities.
OOCL
888-388-OOCL
PARENT COMPANY: Orient Overseas (International) Limited
LOGISTICS DIVISION: OOCL Logistics
ABOUT OOCL: Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), one of the world’s largest integrated international container transportation, logistics, and terminal companies and one of Hong Kong’s most recognized global brands, provides fully integrated logistics and containerized transportation services, with a network encompassing Asia, Europe, North America, and Australasia.
WEB TOOLS: Schedules, tariffs and rates, booking, cargo/vessel tracking, bill of lading processing, EDI
FLEET SIZE: 65 vessels
CUSTOMER AWARDS: Wal-Mart’s No. 1 International Carrier award, 2005
WHAT’S NEW: In concert with Tokyo Senpaku Kaisha (TSK), OOCL operates a fixed-weekly Middle East-Asia Express service (MAX). The new MAX service uses five 5,000-TEU containerships, and replaces the individual Middle East services currently run by TSK and OOCL.
Senator Lines GmbH
+49 (421) 3083-0
ABOUT SENATOR LINES: Headquartered in Bremen, Germany, Senator Lines offers an integrated ocean and intermodal transportation network as well as customized transportation solutions. With 120 container vessels and a slot capacity totaling 750,000 TEUs, the company provides a fast and reliable network of 18 liner services. In 2003 Senator Lines set its sights on a new course as a specialist carrier. Since then the company has concentrated on its strong trades between Europe, the Mediterranean, Middle East, Asia, Canada, and South America.
WEB TOOLS: Scheduling, rates and surcharges, booking, bill of lading, cargo tracking, inbound cargo
FLEET SIZE: 4 vessels; access to 120 container vessels acting as a slot charterer
CUSTOMER AWARDS: CIFFA Award 2006: Best Middle East Ocean Carrier
WHAT’S NEW: Senator Lines’ Asia-Mediterranean Express adds another link to Asia. Seven 3,500-TEU containerships, in collaboration with K-Line and Yang Ming, run weekly departures to link the industrial centers of Asia and the Mediterranean.