Hapag calls in substitute

Hapag-Lloyd has replaced a containership that was sidelined when it ran into technical issues during a North Atlantic voyage earlier this month.

The German carrier says it has chartered Reederei Drevin’s 1,404-teu Thetis (buit 2009) to transport cargo from a box terminal in Antwerp to Montreal where it is expected to arrive on 22 February.

The company confirmed the plan in a note to clients but did not elaborate on rates or whether the 4,000-teu MSC Diego (built 1999), which was forced to cut a journey to Canada short on 3 February, would return to service anytime soon.

Commenting on the mysterious incident, a Hapag spokesman says the vessel discharged its cargo and underwent inspection in Antwerp after it turned back due to “technical problems” but declined to discuss details when contacted by TradeWinds.

While rates are not known, sources familiar with the containership market say feederships like the Thetis are fetching daily rates of around EUR 3,000 ($4,000), which they describe as “dismal” for owners that are struggling to maintain cash reserves at a time when cargo is increasingly hard to come by.

The MSC Diego is owned by an affiliate of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, flagged in Panama, classed by Germanischer Lloyd and maintains insurance with Standard P&I Club per Charles Taylor & Co, according to data from Equasis, which claims the ship has been in "casualty or repair" since 29 January.

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