NEW YEAR marks the end of the Ahrenkiel Liner Service (ALS) multi-purpose service between the Far East and SA. The Hamburg-based Ahrenkiel Group will terminate its liner service in January, according to Hans Heesakkers of the ALS agency in SA, but will still have ships in place to fulfil the company's December cargo commitments. Beaten by heavy competition from container operators, and diminishing breakbulk cargo demand, the service has been losing money for some time now, Heesakkers added. This position has worsened this year with the global trade and economic slow-down, and "the group has decided to call it quits," he told FTW.
