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APL Announces New Mediterranean Atlantic Service

3 October 2000

APL Announces New Mediterranean Atlantic Service

    LONDON, Oct. 3 Consistent with its announced expansion of
service offerings in the region, APL will start a new transatlantic container
service from the Mediterranean in early November. The weekly sailings will
include port calls at Gioia Tauro and Genoa (Italy) and Algeciras (Spain) with
feeder connections to/from Greece, Turkey and the Black Sea ports. APL will
slot-charter space from Maersk Sealand and the service is conditional upon its
becoming effective at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
    Over the past twelve months APL has been growing its service profile
throughout Europe with the establishment of a new Europe headquarters in
London and developing its own organizations in Austria, Benelux, France,
Germany, Italy and the UK. APL's aim is to deliver a full intermodal service
package in Europe and provide customers with a global liner network in step
with APL's well-established Asian and Americas operations.
    APL will offer a weekly service in both directions. The port rotation in
the US will be New York, Charleston, Miami and Houston. Particularly
competitive transit times will be provided, for instance Genoa to New York in
12 days and to Miami in 17. From Algeciras, New York is reached in 8 days and
Charleston in 10. On the eastbound leg, there will be a 14-day transit from
Houston to Algeciras and 14 days from Charleston to Gioia Tauro.
    Ken Soerensen, the President of APL Europe, said, "It is APL's clearly
stated intent to provide a comprehensive international, intermodal transport
system throughout Europe. I consider this latest addition to our services as
an important element of this plan and look forward to further extending our
offerings to customers in the Mediterranean in the future."
    The Atlantic link in the Mediterranean complements a weekly Asia service
already provided by APL. This includes sailings to/from Genoa, Barcelona and
Fos/Marseilles for major Southeast and North Asia destinations.
    A further three new APL services are also about to commence in
mid-October, each linking North Europe and North America on a weekly basis.
    New agency networks have been established to cover Turkey and the Black
Sea and also in Greece, adding to those already in Spain, Portugal and Italy
(full details below). APL Europe's Vice President Sales and Marketing, David
Appleton, commented, "In expanding our services to Mediterranean-based
customers, we are pleased to have the support of a group of agents who
represent the highest degree of professional expertise available in the area.
In establishing partnerships with shippers, we require -- and believe we have
acquired -- the best in local partners."

    Agents:

    -- Bulgaria    CB Shipping Ltd., Sofia.
    -- Greece      George A. Callitsis Succsrs S.A., Piraeus.
    -- Italy       APL Italy, Genoa.
    -- Portugal    MacAndrews Lda., Lisbon.
    -- Romania     Economou  International Agencies Ltd.,
    -- Spain       MacAndrews S.A., Bilbao.
                   NOSA., Madrid.
    -- Turkey      Eisa Maritime Agency Co. Ltd., Istanbul.
    -- Ukraine     Economou International Agencies Ltd., Odessa.