Liner Shipping Report - Alphaliner

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Liner Shipping Report Coral Container Line - October 2003 The line was however downgraded in 1998 and 1999 (to end with spot sailings, in co-operation with Friomar), and was actually taken in charge by a company controlled by Cuba based in the Netherlands, Melbridge Container Line (itself founded in 1994). Melbridge C.L. uses to operate two or three chartered ships of around 1,000 teu on this service, which links Rotterdam, Le Havre and Bilbao to Canada (St John) and Cuba (Havana) with further oncarriage to Mexico. As for Coral, it set up domestic services allowing to link Cuba to neighbouring hubs, partly in cooperation with foreign partners (such as CGM which was involved as soon as 1995). Coral launched soon a service linking Italy, Spain and Cuba (Spain is an historic partner of Cuba), and calling also at the Caribbean hub of Kingston in order to attract third party business (6105). The service was ensured with the three 'Nordsino' class ships (see related item). As the service grew up in size, Coral started to charter 900 to 1,100 teu units to replace them, and also to increase the frequency. This chartering policy started in early 2000, with ships chartered for six months periods. Thus in 2001, the service was ensured with four chartered ships averaging 1,100 teu (LAURITA RICKMERS, JADE TRADER, ESTECLIPPER, ELBSTRÖM). Coral even attracted Hapag-Lloyd as a slot buyer (HL used the service as a Med-Caribbean service, transhipping cargo at its Kingston hub but was not involved in the Cuba trade). In 2002, the service was progressively downgraded, probably because of intensified pressure on the Med-Caribbean trade (via Kingston), and on the Med-Cuba trade itself, especially with the rise of a rival services launched by Costa Container Lines (6185 / 6186 / 6266), as Cuba started slowly to open its foreign trade. Another blow was that Hapag-Lloyd did not renew its slot buying agreement. The chartered ships were progressively returned to their owners as their charter expired, the last one, the 1,107 teu ELBSTRÖM having been returned in September 2002. Coral went on however, with inhouse tonnage, such as the 896 teu SEAGREEN and SUNGREEN or even the 844 teu RITA, diverted from the Coral Cuba feeder service. In August and September 2002, it also chartered 500 teu ships on a short term basis (round voyages) in order to fulfil its commitments (such as the 417 teu ATLANTIK and the 574 teu CLAUDIA A.). In the end, Coral bought slots from third pary operators, including the Costa C.L. service. Coral had also set up a three ship loop within the Caribbeans, acting as a feeder loop hubbing at Kingston (run initially with 400 teu mp tonnage -including Dnepr ships-, replaced in September 2000 by the three 844 teu 'Nordsino' type ships since September 2000 - transferred from the Med-Cuba line), and a weekly Jamaica (Kingston)-Havana shuttle run with the 320 teu NUEVITAS. These feeder services have been closed in September 2002 and the four ships have been returned to their owners. 2003 : Melfi takes in charge the Med-Canada-Cuba service - Melfi Marine Corporation is a Cuban-owned company registered in Panama, founded in 1981. It is currently 'owned' by the CIMEX Enterprise Group (CIMEX = Comercio Interior - Mercado Exterior), a private commercial organization belonging to the Cuban government. Besides shipping, CIMEX is active in real estate, legal matters, wholesale and retail services. Melfi Marine Corporation operates under the brand name 'Melfi Lines'. It has been operating a service between Canada (Halifax) and Cuba (6206), using multipurpose tonnage. Nickel byproducts are believed to form the main cargo on this service. It operates also a regional service linking Havana to Mexico, Panama and the NCSA (6876), acting also as a relay service used by Melbridge Container Line, a Netherlands-based company controlled by Cuban interests. Page 2
Liner Shipping Report Coral Container Line - October 2003 In September 2003, Melfi Lines launched a service linking the Med to Canada and Cuba (6188), which took the cargoes formerly carried by the Med-Cuba service operated by Coral Container Lines until September 2002. When this latter service was closed, the freight carried was shifted to the relevant service of Italian operator Costa Container Lines (6186). Melfi has chartered three ships to ensure it : the 749 teu CONTAINERSHIPS IV (alias SPICA), the 1,102 teu ALASSA and the 878 teu SAYINUR YARDIMCI. The CONTAINERSHIPS IV and ALASSA, renamed MELFI ITALIA and MELFI HABANA. ANNEX on key ships The AESA-Castellana ships - In the early 1980s, it was decided to modernise the fleet of state-owned Empresa de Navegacion Mambisa (then including SD 14s and Dnepr class ships). An arrangement was found to have new cargo ships ordered in Spain (Astilleros Españoles - AESA). Although details of the financing remain unknown, the ships were actually ordered by Castellana, a Spanish firm linked to AESA, which has sublet the ships for a long period to Cuba under a bare-boat charter agreement. Thus, in 1985-86, Mambisa received from AESA a series of eight multipurpose cargo ships of 16,200 tdw and 519 teu, starting with the BAHIA DE MANZANILLO (in order to obtain the full list, enter the SHIPS page / click Class-design : 'Aesa-Castellana'). However, difficulties linked to the loss of the USSR backing did not allow the Cuba government to fulfil its obligations with AESA-Castellana, and with other creditors as well, and the ships were recovered by their Spanish owners and put up for sale. All eight ships were sold in 1996, seven of them having been bought by Bangkok-based Thoresen & Co (and were given THOR style names) while the remaining one went to South Korea-based Hansung Shipping. The 'Nordsino' class ships - As the container invaded the Cuba trade in the 1980s, it became urgent to cover the country containerised foreign trade with adequate tonnage. The government bought three 844 teu ships from China, delivered in 1988-89 by the Shanghai Shipyard. These ships were based on a German design, known as the 'Nordsino' type (of which five were built for German owners in the early 1980s). They were the first Cuban cellular ships and were delivered to Mambisa as the SIERRA MAESTRA, ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA and CAMILO CIENFUEGOS and soon renamed (1990) in GIORITA, ENERGY and ALBONICA. In turn the two latter ones became GROSSERMAN and GUTTERMAN in 1995. In 2000, the three ships were sold to Greek owner Lagoa Shipping Corp., and the their management was entitled to London-based Millemium Shipping. They were renamed AMALIA, ANA and RITA. They stayed however operated by Coral under a charter back arrangement, which came to an end in September 2002. As for the buyer, Lagoa Shipping, it was already involved with Coral C.L. as the owners of the Coral-chartered 320 teu NUEVITAS, a former ship delivered in the name of the Baltic Shg Co and sold by its Russian successors to Lagoa in 1997, and also as buyers -in 1997- of the two 24,000 tdw / 863 teu conbulkers CARIBBEAN QUEEN and CARIBBEAN PRINCESS, earlier reported as bought by Cuba from the Oetker Group. Page 3
Page 1: Shipbrokers Since 1856 Liner Shippi

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