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Wilhelmsen Ships Service reports that it has noted a 13 percent increase between February and March in the number of port calls made for the provision of the company's ships agency services.

The results will also be positive news for the company's bunker division, which serves a wide variety of international ship-operators, including worldwide liner, tramp and tanker services, offshore and coastal transport.

The upward trend looks set to continue as Wilhelmsen Ships Service today signed an agreement with Sinotrans Shipping Ltd., Hong Kong, to provide services covering approximately 750 port calls per year.

"Sinotrans is one of China's largest shipping companies in terms of self-owned dry bulk fleet size so the agreement with the Hong Kong subsidiary is an indicator of their trust in our offer," Wilhelmsen Ships Service said in a statement.

"The agreement with Sinotrans is a significant gain for Wilhelmsen Ships Service," added Captain Gur Prasad Kohli, General Manager, Wilhelmsen Ships Service, Hong Kong.

The March achievement marks an upturn in business, and is said to be amongst the best monthly performances in the company's history.

Frederic Fontarosa, Business Director Ships Agency and Bunkers said "The Sinotrans agreement will significantly boost the figures for our monthly port calls figures. Aside from this the increases that we have seen in the last couple of months indicate that ships agency is back on track, as the financial crisis appears to be receding."

Fontarosa added: "In spite of the shipping market still being weak, Wilhelmsen Ships Service is strengthening its position in the marketplace. This is thanks to a number of new agreements which the company has put in place for rendering husbandry services and includes not only the Sinotrans contract but a husbandry agreement recently signed with Torm Shipping of the Philippines as well."