The Japanese carrier, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), is in the process of upgrading its Asia-South Africa network with two service changes. The first is on April 8, when MOL is joining the existing weekly ASA service operated by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line) and Pacific International Lines (PIL). The service will be operated by eight vessels, of which one will be provided by MOL. According to MOL’s South African marketing manager, Iain McIntosh, this will be an excellent way of introducing a new route linking Central and South China, Taiwan, South East Asia and SA. And, at the same time, it won’t a large amount of extra capacity to a trade which, over the past year, has seen lines adjusting services and discarding tonnage to reach what is now a good balance of supply and demand, according to McIntosh. “The Asia trade is getting a lot firmer,” he added, “and – with supply/demand looking a lot better – lines are getting a lot tougher on freight rates. And rate levels will have to go up.” MOL will now have a service offering direct inbound and outbound voyages between China, Taiwan and the SA region, while also strengthening the existing network in Durban and Cape Town. The second service change will see MOL extending the port coverage of its current Mozambique Express (MZX) service to the northern port of Nacala on a fortnightly basis from May-June. “It’s a strategic move for us,” McIntosh told FTW. “The trade in and out of Mozambique is growing quite significantly, with the northern ports of the country developing fastest because of major mineral finds, like the huge coal deposits in Tete province.”
