CHINA Shipping Container Line (CSCL) has announced a new Far East-north Europe service with nine weekly sailings on top the services it has going with Evergreen, reports the Paris-based container shipping analysts Alphaliner.

CSCL has slots on five CKYH alliance loops and also joins Evergreen and Zim in its recommencement of AEX 2/CES 2 services, starting in May.

Korea's Hanjin Shipping has developed East Mediterranean and Black Sea coverage by taking slots on the Asia-Black Sea Express (ABX) run by CSCL, "K" Line, Yang Ming, PIL and Wan Hai and will soon join an intra-Med string on the Turkey-Levant Service, operated by Arkas Line and Turkon Line (TLS).

Hanjin will take slots on the ABX, starting May 18 with the sailing from Shanghai of the Xin Luan Yun Gang. Part of the CKYH alliance, Hanjin together with Cosco, "K" Line and Yang Ming participate in the ABX with "K" Line and Yang Ming, providing ships and Cosco acting as slot buyer.

Hanjin joins TLS this week, bringing a third ship into the loop, the 3,017-TEU Ibn Sina, thus transforming it into a fortnightly service instead of the three-week frequency it had before. This will also provide additional calls at Piraeus and Gemlik. The Hanjin ship joins two 1,878-TEU vessels run by Arkas and Turkon. Hanjin will use Port Said and Piraeus as transshipment hubs to cover major Turkish Lebanese and Egyptian ports.