German international shipping and container transportation company Hapag-Lloyd AG announced that it is expanding fleet on Atlantic Loop 3 service between the US and Europe.

"Our Atlantic Loop 3 Service (AL3) fleet is growing with the addition of the 4,248 TEU vessel “Rio Grande Express” sailing between the United States and Europe," the cargo container shipping line said in a statement.

"Upgrading to a 6 vessel rotation will improve the reliability of the AL3 service for our customers and support our strategy of being number one for quality," it added.

The “Rio Grande Express” will be flagged under the United States, completing an entire loop of US Flag vessels, which will provide valuable opportunities for US mariners and reinforcing our commitment to the US Flag fleet.

The AL3 service connects the vessel’s new homeport Houston (Texas) with the port of Hamburg.  

With a fleet of 237 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 1.7 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies.

The company has around 12,800 employees and 399 offices in 128 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of approximately 2.6 million TEU – including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers.

A total of 118 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. Hapag-Lloyd is one of the leading operators in the Transatlantic, Middle East, Latin America and Intra-America trades.