Three carriers launch new Far East – S America service

Alan Peat A NEW service between the Far East and the East Coast of South America (ECSA) is to be introduced in a vessel sharing agreement (VSA) between three lines, with a fourth slot-chartering space. From mid-April onwards, Maersk Line, NYK and Hamburg Süd will be running two strings on the trade – replacing the present three strings, one operated by Maersk Line and two operated by a Hamburg Süd/NYK VSA. Maersk sister line, Safmarine, will charter slots on the new VSA – as it does on the current Maersk ASAS service between South America, SA and the Far East The port rotations in the new services will be: String 1: Shanghai-Hong Kong-Singapore-Tanjung Pelepas-Sepetiba-Santos-Buenos Aires-Rio Grande-Paranagua-Santos-Port Elizabeth-Durban-Singapore-Hong Kong-Shanghai. String 2: Nagoya-Yokohama-Busan-Hong Kong-Laem Chabang-Singapore-Tanjung Pelepas-Durban-Santos-Itajai-Santos-Sepetiba-Singapore-Hong Kong-Nagoya. These will offer SA import customers eastbound calls from South America at both Port Elizabeth and Durban on the first string and a westbound export call to South America at Durban on the second string. “By offering additional calls in the Far East and South America, we will be able to offer our Asian and South American customers a better westbound product with the two new strings,” Alex de Bruyn, Safmarine’s Southern Africa trades executive told FTW. “We will also offer interesting options for South American and SA customers trading with each other.”