LYKES LINE has added two new multi-purpose vessels to its East Coast Service on the North America-Africa trade. The two Astrakan Mark 3 ro-ro (roll-on, roll-off) ships will join the three others already on the service. "The introduction of the Lykes Raider in June and the Lykes Runner in August means we now have five identical vessels," Morten Veflingstad, vice-president (commercial) told FTW, "this making scheduling of traffic easier." All the ships are also capable of sailing the Great Lakes during the season (April-December) when Hamilton and Toronto are added to the out-of-season port rotation of Montreal, Philadelphia, Savannah, Cape Town, Durban, Cape Town, Philadelphia and Montreal. The fleet of five also ensures schedule integrity on the every-15-days service.
