DANISH shipping giant Maersk Line will increase rates on cargo moving from North Europe to the United States and Canada by US$170 per TEU and $200 per FEU and on all other 40-footers, but by $300 for 45-foot high cube boxes effective February 1.

Applied at the same time, Germany's Hapag-Lloyd, newly merged with Chile's CSAV to become the world's fourth biggest container shipping company, will raise rates from the Indian subcontinent and Middle East to the US and Canada by US$425 per TEU and $500 per FEU and all other 40-footers from February 1.

Maersk's Weekly Highlights newsletter also said the company will also increase rates on cargo moving from North America to the Far East by $80 per TEU, $100 per FEU and on all other 40-foot plus high cube containers.

As reported earlier, Maersk also raised rates on the mainline Asia-to-northern Europe run by US$800 per TEU from January 15.