Two major lines tie-up in European car carrying

Mitsui OSK Lines (Tokyo) and Höegh Autoliners (Oslo) have set up a 50/50 joint venture in Europe, integrating the existing European short sea and logistics activities of both shareholders and of Euro Marine Carrier BV. The new company, named Euro Marine Logistics (EML), was registered in March this year and has its offices in Brussels, Belgium. EML is a common carrier and started trading in the second week of June. From the third quarter 2011, EML will operate 13 vessels in European waters, and will be among the top three vehicle short sea operators in Europe. It has a well-balanced short sea fleet including small (750 cars), medium (1 500 cars) and large (>3 000 cars) vessels with the support and the backup of the parent companies’ deep sea services when using common ports or routes. It already operates an extensive service network in the Mediterranean, continental Europe, UK and the Baltic.