From next month, Germany's Hamburg Sud is to slot charter on Hamburg-headquartered compatriot Hapag Lloyd's MGX Mediterranean to Central America service thus phasing out its own service and redeploying three boxships onto other trades.

Hamburg Sud said that the 'new integrated Mediterranean Mexican Gulf Express service' - operated by 6 x 3,200TEU vessels - would enable an 'improvement of the frequency while maintaining the present coverage of ports'.

As a consequence of the rationalisation and to maintain its port coverage, Hamburg Sud said it will upgrade its intra-Caribbean feeder service by the addition of a second vessel hubbing at Cartagena, Colombia and connecting with Barranquilla, Colombia and San Juan in Puerto Rico.