Singapore's APL has completed its reorganisation in the Baltic region with the formation of APL Agencies Estonia OU, based in Tallinn, Estonia. APL Agencies Estonia OU assumed responsibility for all APL activities in the country last month, when it formally took over from the agency company Maritime Cargo Logistics, which represented APL since 2001.This is the second such company established by APL within the past month. In October APL Agencies UAB opened in the most southerly Baltic republic of Lithuania. Staff at the former agency, led by Aare Kaarma, who becomes country manager at APL Agencies Estonia OU, have transferred to the new company. The growth potential for Eastern Europe is borne out by recent research, commissioned by APL from international consultants Drewry Shipping. Looking at likely demand factors on the two-way Asia-Europe trade, the study concluded that Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states, Poland and Russia, could see laden container volumes rise by more than 500 per cent from 2006 to more than 9 million TEU by 2016.
Tallinn is currently served by APL's Lower Baltic Express (LBX) service, connecting the Baltic port twice weekly with APL's global network over Hamburg and Bremerhaven. The LBX links Hamburg and Bremerhaven with Finland (Helsinki), Estonia (Tallinn), Latvia (Riga), Lithuania (Klaipeda) and Poland (Gdynia and Gdansk).