MALTA\\\


This isn’t the easiest of times to be involved in liner shipping in Malta. With global shipping services in turmoil, lines had been refusing new bookings for the next three weeks at the time of writing, much to the displeasure of their customers. CMA CGM’s service from


North Europe is the dominant container carrier to Malta, but this service like all others on the Europe/Asia axis has been hit by the turmoil that is currently taking place in the world markets and in mid- April was refusing to take new business for the next three weeks or so. The North Europe service is important to Malta – around 50% of the island’s containerised imports come from there. Some people are even wistfully recalling the days of Sea Malta, the monopoly state-owned line that was disbanded over a couple of decades ago. The general difficulties


facing the world’s shipping lines have been compounded,


Rabelink on the move


Rabelink had a quiet start to the year but business has now picked up, says general manager Julian Naudi. “There’s a steady trade in CIF work from Spain and Antwerp – and we have just moved to new, better offices just down the road from our old premises in Marsa,” he told FBJ. Rabelink has quite a lucrative business in getting shipments from major ports in Europe to Malta.


Now is not bad time to be


considering moving offices in Malta, as there is a glut of property on the market. (The island is dotted with stalled building projects, where the developers lack the cash or the motivation to proceed.) The big problem that Rabelink


faces, along with all other forwarders, is the lack of reliable shipping services to the island. CMA CGM was for many years


the major operator to the island, but at the time of writing had a backlog of cargo of around three weeks on its service from North Europe. “We will have to find an alternative service for our groupage, but there are not many,” says Julian Naudi. Trailers are an alternative groupage and are usually


for


quicker, but come at price premium that some shippers are unwilling to pay.


in CMA CGM’s case, by the fact that it still in the process of forging a new alliance with MSC and the final format of future services remains unclear. Meanwhile, CMA CGM has disbanded all its existing slot charter agreements with other lines on its vessels. Local forwarders complain that rates have “shot up” as a result.


CMA CGM refused to be


interviewed for this report, saying that there was “no news” about its services to Malta – though as one Maltese


Issue 3 2012 Tough times for island shipping services


forwarder said, “there’s plenty of news – it’s just that none of it is good news.” The local freight


community is worried about the future of CMA CGM, not least because the line is by far the biggest user of the Freeport. It is possible – and it must be stressed


that


this is merely conjecture – that the new joint service’s Mediterranean hub will be somewhere other than Malta Freeport. MSC currently uses Gioia Tauro in Italy as its main hub for the area. The


Freeport has already suffered from the loss of Iranian based IRISL due to UN sanctions, which have effectively shut down that line’s operations in Europe. That said, Malta Freeport reckoned to


is be hubs one and of


the Mediterranean’s best transhipment


if


CMA CGM were to pull out, it is more than likely that another major operator could be found to fill the gap. But the local freight community could do without the uncertainty meanwhile.


31


>>UK TO MALTA GROUPAGE? WE’VE GOT IT COVERED.


www.carmelocaruana.com


Nineteen Twenty Three, Valletta Road, Marsa MRS 3000, Malta Tel: +356 2568 1555 Fax: +356 2568 1666


info@carmelocaruana.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44