Seventh vessel ensures Saecs schedule integrity

IN ITS efforts to beat port delays and retain schedule reliability, the SA/Europe Container Service (Saecs) – a ship-sharing arrangement between Safmarine, MOL, DAL and Maersk Line – is to add a seventh vessel to its core service. The additional vessel, Lica Maersk, has the same specifications as the other specialised reefer tonnage on the service, and it will join the fleet on November 11. Safmarine SA trades executive, Alex de Bruyn, told FTW: “The partner lines in the Europe-SA trade have made a substantial investment in acquiring an additional vessel in order to ensure all our customers – including fruit exporters – receive a more reliable service during the peak season.” The current port rotation – Tilbury-Rotterdam- Bremerhaven-Las Palmas- Cape Town-Port Elizabeth- Durban-Cape Town-Las Palmas-Tilbury – will remain unchanged. Saecs’ core service is supplemented by an intermediate service run by the same four lines.