NEW YORK, NY — Jan. 10, 2008 In an industry first, a collection of the world’s 24 leading container shipping companies has formed the Container Shipping Information Service to increase public understanding of the benefits and impact their industry has on daily life.

The public awareness effort is a result of recent third-party research of opinion influencers around the world, which concluded that the traditionally quiet industry needs to do a better job of promoting itself. To that end, CSIS aims to show how the industry is vital to the lives of people in the modern world. It also plans to address the industry’s role in common areas of concern, particularly the environment, globalization and security.

As a first step, CSIS has created a public website (www.shipsandboxes.com), designed to appeal to a broad audience. Its features include a ‘Did You Know’ section and a ‘Jargon Buster’ that decodes shipping terms.

The CSIS is engaged with other major industry trade bodies and aims to complement their existing activities by providing information that is more relevant to a broader public audience.

“The choice of goods that consumers have and their availability is largely down to the container shipping industry. However the wider world is not, on the whole, aware of this. So it is important that as an industry we make them aware of this and explain the wider role and impacts that our industry has on the world, said Adolf Adrion, Member of the Executive Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG .

Launched in January 2008, the Container Shipping Information Service (CSIS) comprises the largest 24 container shipping companies across the world. These include: Atlantic Container Line AB, China Shipping (Group) Company, CMA-CGM Group, COSCO, Crowley Maritime Corporation, CSAV (Compaa Sud-Americana de Vapores S.A.), Evergreen Marine Corp, Hamburg Sdamerikanische Dampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft KG, Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd., Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Maersk Line, Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC), Mediterranean Shipping Co. S.A. (MSC), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Neptune Orient Lines Ltd/APL, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK), Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd (OOCL), Pacific International Lines (Pte) Ltd, United Arab Shipping Co (SAG), Wan Hai Lines Ltd, Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp., Zim Integrated Shipping Service Ltd. For more information, please visit www.shipsandboxes.com