New Africa services extend ro-ro transhipment options

In the latest announcement
from the roll-on, roll-off
(ro/ro) car carrier, Höegh
Autoliners, comes news that it
is developing new trades into
Africa.
These are a monthly service
from Middle East and India
to Southern Africa and West
Africa (known as the MIAF
trade) and a monthly service
from Far East, Middle East and
India to East Africa (called the
FEME trade).
According to Hoegh’s
Africa MD, Per Folkesson, a
combination of the MIAF and
FEME trades offers connection
possibilities to Southern and
Western Africa from the Far
East.
“Looking at the trades in
more detail,” he said, “our main
load ports for the MIAF service
will include Sharjah (UAE)
and Mumbai (India) – with
the discharge port in Southern
Africa at Maputo, and in
West Africa at Luanda, Lagos
and Tema.
“Our main hub port for
Southern Africa is Maputo
(Mozambique) but we will
consider other ports under
certain conditions.”
These trade routes also
present possibilities to
load cargo from Southern Africa
to Luanda and other West
African ports.
According to Folkesson,
the first vessel in the MIAF
service – the Hoegh Shanghai -
completed loading in India early
January and has an estimated
time of arrival (ETA) in Luanda
of January 23.
In the meantime, the main
load ports in the FEME trade
will include Tianjin/Xingang
and Shanghai (China), Kobe,
Kawasaki and Kisarazu (Japan),
Sharja (UAE) and Mumbai
(India) with discharge ports
being Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania)
and Mombasa (Kenya).
“In view of the enormous
growth in Angola we have
also extended our US East
Coast to West Africa service
to include Luanda and Tema,”
said Folkesson, “with monthly
sailings commencing in
February 2009.
“These services will all be
performed by flexible PCTC
which can accommodate any
type of vehicle as well as high
and heavy equipment, static and
project cargoes.”