JADEWESERPORT, the easternmost deep water port in northern Europe, is to welcome two new services from Danish container shipping giant Maersk Line in its Europe-Central America CRX and Asia-Europe AE-1 services.

The container terminal at Wilhelmshaven in Jade Bay recently opened with its first call of a vessel on the CRX service with the 2,532-TEU Anna Schulte, then a few days later the 7,450-TEU Maersk Laguna on the Europe-ECSA 'Samba' service on an ad hoc call docked to coincide with the official opening of JadeWeserPort (JWP). First call on the AE-1 will be a 9,600-TEU Chastine Maersk.

 The AP Moller unit, APM Terminals (AMPT) holds a 30 per cent share in JWP with the remaining held by German Eurogate group. These companies jointly run the North Sea Terminal (NST), Bremerhaven in a 50:50 split operation.

 According to Paris-based Alphaliner, Maersk has introduced a stop at NTB, Bremerhaven simultaneously although it is unclear how it will balance cargo volume share at both terminals.

 The JWP launch of 2011 was delayed and its quay wall defects in the first 650 metres of its 1,000 metre length spotted in March this year has cost EUR15 million (US$12 million) to repair. It aims to add a further 725 metres of quay by August 2013 and by then to support an annual operating capacity of 2.7 million TEU.

 JadeWeserPort is facing a difficult market to generate business with six of north continent's main ports down by 0.8 per cent in first half 2012. Terminal operators such as PSA's year-old ZIP terminal have suffered a dismal opening and Hutchison's Amsterdam ACT terminal has closed after four years of falling volumes.

(source:shipping online)