Advance Helps Plug Gap in Supply of Containers for Out-Of-Gauge Cargoes

Istanbul, Turkey, July 06, 2007 --(PR.com)-- In China, Advance International Transport, the leading freight forwarder and project shipping specialist, is taking delivery of 2400 new 40’ Open Top and Flat Rack containers for over-dimensional and out-of-gauge cargoes.

The first 200 units of the order, which are being leased from Triton Container International Ltd, are now available from various container manufacturers in China.

Jawad Kamel, Advance International President and CEO, said: “There is a tremendous shortage of special container equipment in China for oversized cargo. Rather than re-position these leased units empty to various container storage depots around the world, we are keen to hear from other forwarders, shipping lines and NVOCCs, which may require these units. We would rather give other operators the opportunity to use this equipment at rates and conditions to be agreed before delivery, on a case-by-case basis.

“The first 200 units of the total order which will be delivered to Advance over the next 12 months are available for collection from container manufacturers’ factories near Ningbo and Shanghai, but can also be positioned in any part of China. Using these containers, shippers will also be able to move their shipments out of China by rail via Kazakhstan to the CIS, Russia and Europe provided the oversized cargo is within the railway gauge of the Chinese and CIS railways.”

Any company taking advantage of this opportunity will be required to collect the new equipment from the manufacturer and will be free to arrange shipment with any carrier of their choice to the final port of destination. After the cargo is delivered to the consignee, Advance will require each container to be return to the port of destination, from where it will be positioned to the closest container depot.

Advance prefers the port of destination for the 40’ Open Tops to be Genoa, Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam, New York, Los Angeles or Chicago. For the 40’ Flat Racks, the preferred ports of destination are Genoa, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Houston, Seattle or New York.

Adds Mr Kamel: “With such a tremendous shortage of this type of equipment, especially in China, we are sure that there will be a large demand. Therefore, we will be applying the age-old principle of ‘first come, first served’.”

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