Maersk to go on Asian tour to win back shipping alliances to East Port Said
Maersk is embarking on a new Asian tour in October that will aim to win back shipping alliances that had ceased operations at East Port Said, which it helps operate, due to protest high fees, Al Mal reports. Maersk will also be approaching new shipping companies and alliances in the hopes of attracting them to the port in East Port Said. Last month, Ocean Alliance — which includes CMA CGM Group, APL, Evergreen, and China’s COSCO Shipping — had decided to suspend operations at East Port Said due to high costs. An alliance made up of Yang Ming, Hapag-Lloyd, K Line, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and the NYK Group had retired from East Port Said last year after the government decided to raise fees by nearly 100%. Egypt has been offering discounts and other incentives to attract more traffic to its ports, with President Abdel Fattah El Sisi suggesting that port fees would be reduced to make them competitive.