THE 20,000-TEU Al Zubara has become the first Hapag-Lloyd-owned vessel to stop at the Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven (CTW) in the FE2 service.

Since April 2023, JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven has been part of the regular rotation of the FE2 service in the sailing schedule of the partners in THE Alliance (Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, Yang Ming and Hyundai Merchant Marine), reports London's Port Technology.

Joerg Sonne, head of Hapag-Lloyd's Region North Europe, mainly views the port as an important second pillar for Hapag-Lloyd and its customers.

Said Mr Sonne: "Wilhelmshaven especially proved its value in the last two years while ports were congested.

"We view it as an advantage that we offer our customers two gateways to Germany in order to be able to flexibly and reliably deliver their cargo. At the same time, the port has also become a cost-efficient alternative."

Moreover, investments are being made in the container terminal's infrastructure, which includes the eight gantry cranes that are being raised by 11 metres to enable them to handle 24,000-TEUers, with the addition of two more cranes.

This month, Hapag-Lloyd updates its Atlantic Loop 5 service.