MSC launches new Australia leg

Terry Hutson COINCIDING with its new Europe-SA service (see page 1), MSC tomorrow (January 18) launches a dedicated service connecting the major South African ports with Australia via Port Louis on the eastbound leg to Australia, and via Port Louis and Pointe des Galets (Reunion) on the return leg. The MSC Insa (a one-off) will initiate the service followed by four dedicated ships - MSC Namibia, MSC Denise, MSC Jessica and MSC Paola. The fully cellular ships carry 1 400TEUs at a speed of 20 knots. They will arrive at Durban every Thursday and sail every Saturday morning arriving Port Louis every Wednesday. This is designed to preserve and accommodate MSC’s existing cargo interests between Europe, Africa and Australia and continue to serve USA customers moving their cargo via SA. “This move will considerably improve the services offered with a better transit time, which will no longer be subjected to any possible delays in the Australian ports. The Indian Ocean Islands service will now also become a true named day service and will help considerably the port congestion in Durban and Cape Town because the company will have two less vessel calls per week, thus creating more berth availability,” MSC chairman Captain Salvatore Sarno said. The breakbulk service to the Indian Ocean Islands, a tradition for MSC for the past 20 years, will continue to deploy the multi-purpose ships MSC Daniela and MSC Angela on a fortnightly basis. Sarno said this once again demonstrated MSC’s flexibility and willingness to help a port situation that was becoming untenable, especially for MSC, which is the biggest user of the South African port container system.