THE LAUNCH yesterday (February 25) of the Safmarine/Maersk SAMBA service linking South America and the Middle East hubbing through South Africa plugs what has been a glaring gap in Safmarine's service portfolio and opens up a host of new opportunities for the line.
Line manager Barbara van Rensburg is confident that the fortnightly frequency will become weekly by mid-year based on the initial positive response to the service.
An important aspect for SA shippers is the link for the automotive industry between South America and the Eastern Cape, says Van Rensburg, with transit time between 12-16 days from South America to Port Elizabeth.
Automotive and reefer are the prime commodities which the 4-vessel fleet will carry serving Salalah, Port Reunion, Port Louis, Toamasina, Durban, Santos, Paranagua, Itajal, Rio Grande, Montevideo, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Salalah.
Buenos Aires will be re-examined once the service gets underway.
The 1300 teu (twenty foot equivalent unit) vessels are, Van Rensburg believes, ideally suited to the trade. They're modern and fast with good reefer capacity.
And while SAMBA (South Africa, Middle East, Brazil, Argentina) will not ignore South America - Middle East traffic, its prime focus will be the Southern African shipper and links into other strings in the Safmarine/ Maersk Sealand range.
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