Maersk's new FE service offers expanded reefer options

AN EXPANDED reefer service based on own containers and own vessels will be a major benefit of Maersk Line's recently-launched weekly service between South Africa and the Far East.
That was the message from Maersk SA m.d. Niels Strand Nielsen at the official launch of the line's service in Johannesburg last week.
We are no longer restricted by the limited plug allocations which was the case while we belonged to the Good Hope Express, he said. On land our reefer consultancy services ensure that our customers' cargo leaves in pristine condition, and at sea our vessels have dedicated reefer technicians to ensure 24-hour surveillance of our customers' high value cargo.
Refrigerated cargo is a Maersk Line speciality, with the line laying claim to the title of largest operator of integral reefer containers.
Maersk Line also has the largest coverage of Asia of any container carrier today, said Strand Nielsen, with a network of more than 80 offices in Asia.
The line's new schedule serves Singapore, La Reunion, Port Louis, Maputo, Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Cape Town and Walvis Bay.
Maersk has grown its South African service dramatically. It launched its own Europe service just a year ago and in the interim opened new services to East Africa and the Middle East, Mauritius and Angola.
We have come a long way since incorporating Maersk South Africa in 1992 on the back of a modest slot charter arrangement to and from the Far East, said Strand Nielsen.
The line currently has 15 container vessels in operation in southern Africa. Last year Maersk South Africa added 58 people to its staff complement. This year 26 new employees have joined the company so far.