Lloyd Triestino to Launch New Express Service between Europe and Asia

The Italian shipping line Lloyd Triestino (LT) is to accel
erate its China-Europe-Mediterranean (CEM) service between Europe and
Asia by re-tonnaging it with eight 25-knot post-Panamax containe
r vessels. The first sailing is scheduled for 21 August with the depa
rture of LT Ursula from Shanghai.
Until now, the CEM service has used ships of around 2700-3000TEU op
erating at around 20 knots. Now, eight 5364TEU vessels will maintai
n a 56-day round-trip schedule with the following rotation: Shanghai -
Ningbo - Yantian - Hong Kong - Singapore - Gioia Tauro - Rotterdam
- Bremerhaven - Thamesport - Zeebrugge - Gioia Tauro - Singapore - Kao
hsiung - Hong Kong - Shanghai.
Transit times are much improved as the following westbound examples sh
ow: Shanghai - Gioia Tauro 18 days
Hong Kong - Gioia Tauro 14 days
Singapore - Gioia Tauro 11 days
(For transit times to Rotterdam, add five days, Bremerhaven six days,
Thamesport eight days and Zeebrugge nine days.)
Eastbound transit times are similarly improved including Zeebrugge to
Singapore in 18 days and Gioia Tauro to Shanghai in 20 days.
The revised CEM service also provides LT with increased capacity an
d improved transit times between Europe and Australia. The comp
any relays cargo over Singapore which is the hub port for its w
eekly SAX service. This departs Singapore every Monday and calls
at Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane before returning to Singapore. It
is operated by four vessels of approximately 1300TEU.
Initially, the eight vessels being allocated to this new service are
LT Ursula, LT Unity, LT Utile, LT Ulysses, LT United, LT Unicorn, LT U
rban and LT Usodimare . All are either owned or chartered by Lloyd Tri
estino.
LT is reallocating the ships displaced from the CEM service
into other operations including its FEM (Far East - Mediterranean
) and transpacific services.