Startup carrier American Feeder Lines’ first ship will depart Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Friday to begin a service its backers hope will develop into a network of routes covering the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, the Journal of Commerce reports.
“We’ll begin with a weekly service from Halifax to Portland, Maine, to Boston and back to Halifax,” said Rudy Mack, the former Hapag-Lloyd Americas CEO who is the new line’s chief executive.
Mack said the first sailing of the AFL New England, a chartered vessel with capacity of 700 20-foot-equivalent units, had been scheduled for mid-June but was pushed back until this week.
He said the ship’s cargo will consist primarily of feeder cargo from international ships but also will carry some cargo between Canadian and U.S. points.
AFL continues to seek financing for construction of 10 planned ships that would have nominal capacities of 1,300 TEUs.
Meanwhile, the company is considering adding a second ship next April or May to provide a second weekly sailing, Mack said.