AHEAD of the usual Lunar New Year service blankings (DCN 14 January) several carriers have added extra-loaders from China to Australia with overflow cargo.
TS Lines is continuing a program that began as far back as August 2024 and has now amounted to at least 14 addition al sailings by 1800 and 2800 TEU ships, sometimes sailing in parallel, with latest Australian arrivals extending through to mid-February.
PIL has the 1800 TEU Kota Nazar arriving Brisbane and Melbourne this week from Shekou and Shanghai before heading to Singapore with a modest load of empties.
Also arriving this week is ZIM/GSL’s chartered 2546 TEU ALS Venus, having loaded at Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Laem Chabang and Jakarta for Melbourne and Port Botany, then exiting to Xiamen and Shanghai.
Last week ANL positioned in the 2180 TEU Orea, from Shekou and Shanghai to Melbourne and Port Botany, prior to joining the TranzTas service.
Meanwhile, although Maersk has advised a Lunar New Year blanking on its Northern Star service between China and NZ by AS California the ship is listed to sail from Qingdao (29 January) and Shanghai to Melbourne and Port Botany before crossing to Timaru, Port Chalmers and Napier.
Coincidentally, it would seem, the Maersk/ONE Dragon/AUN vessel Maersk Fredericia is blanking the scheduled departure/voyage from Qingdao 1 February.
Separately, Maersk is continuing its northbound diversions of the SEA-NZ-SEA Southern Star service vessels to Melbourne, with Maersk Rio Bravo calling last Saturday (25 January) Maersk Rio India due 2 February, Maersk Rio Negro 15 February and Maersk Rio India due to return 22 March.
Labelled ‘Melbourne Star´ the calls began on a fortnightly basis on 22 July 2024, when they were expected to continue until end-September but have been ongoing, though not continuous.
