DanishLogistics company Maersk has introduced two new air freight services linking China and the US, the company said in a press release. To start, the service will operate two weekly flights between Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) and Shenyang Taoxian International Airport (SHE), and two weekly flights between Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH). These routes will operate three times per week in May 2023, and will be operated by Amerijet International, a cargo airline headquartered in Miami.

The new service aims to “plug a connectivity gap between the US and China.” Connecting the two largest markets for its ocean customers, the air services will add options for high value and time sensitive cargos, it said.

Maersk is on a drive to increase its air freight footprint in Asia: The company also launched a US-Korea route in late 2022, and a Europe-China route last month.

South Korean defense and energy conglomerate Hanwha got the EU’s greenlight to acquire 49.3% of Daewoo Shipbuilding (DSME), Hellenic Shipping News reports, citing statements from company officials. Last year, Hanwha Group offered to buy the stake in DSME for USD 1.5 bn, but the transaction stalled after the EU initially rejected it due to concerns over Hanwha’s monopoly over liquified natural gas carriers, Reuters reported. The EU — along with Turkey, Japan, Vietnam, China, Singapore — later decided the merger is unlikely to limit competition. The transaction is now pending approval from Korea’s Fair Trade Commission.

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