Every 20 days from September
GREATLY IMPROVED frequency and transit times is the promise from Lykes Lines about its upgraded service between North America and SA - improving connections to-and-from New York, Baltimore and the Mid-West, and offering shippers in Philadelphia a direct service.
Renamed the North America-Africa service, it splits the previous service into two loops - an East Coast and a Gulf loop.
The East Coast loop, sailing once every 15-days, has improved transit times to just 18-days from Cape Town to Philadelphia and 20-days from Savannah to Durban.
The port rotation is Montreal, Philadelphia, Savannah, Durban, Cape Town, Philadelphia, Montreal - operated by five multi-purpose ships.
The Gulf loop - calling Durban, Cape Town, Salvador, Savannah, New Orleans, Houston, and Veracruz and operating northbound only - will continue to add ports of call in West Africa southbound on inducement.
Although the initial service is every 30-days, it will sail every 20 days from September.
We are offering substantial reefer capacity on all voyages, Stewart Gibert, Africa service director, told FTW, for the important export markets of poultry southbound, and fruit and seafood northbound.
We are also handling all kinds of ro-ro and breakbulk cargoes - such as rolling stock (automobiles, tractors), lumber, peat moss, steel, machinery and clay.
Both services offer transhipment to and from neighbouring African countries and East Africa.
The East Coast loop began in Cape Town on June 30, and the first sailing of the Gulf loop on July 12.
Lykes continues its long-term relationship with its agency Mitchell Cotts Maritime.
Copyright Now Media (Pty) Ltd
No article may be reproduced without the written permission of the editor
To respond to this article send your email to joyo@nowmedia.co.za
