Maersk halves its Kaohsiung presence

A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, the world's largest container shipping group, has decided not to continue the lease of two docks after the expiration of the contract at the end of October in Kaohsiung.

This is a move expected to deal a major blow to the harbour's operation. After the discontinuation of the two docks, No. 118 and 119, Maersk will be left with only two docks, No. 76 and 77, at the harbour, a move expected to halve the company's container-shipment volume at the port, which topped 1.1 million teu in 2007, more than 10% of the port's total container handling volume of 10 million teu. Maersk will shift its presence to Xiamen across the strait where it completed a trio of berths last year in a joint venture with the local port authority. Kaohsiung, once a top three boxport in the world, could now slide out of the top ten this year.
Read More