Denmark's Maersk Line is adding two calls to its Safari 2 Service linking Malaysia's Tanjung Pelepas to Mozambique's port of Beira and Madagascar's Toamasina to the existing call at Maputo, Transport Weekly reports.
The new calls are intended to benefit the mining and agricultural sectors in the region, and are being introduced in response to customer demand, said a Safmarine official.
The service, run with its recently absorbed Safmarine unit will add a call at Beira and a second call at Toamasina from mid-October, which will then rotate through Tanjung Pelepas, Port Louis, Port Reunion, Toamasina, Maputo, Beira, Toamasina and return to Tanjung Pelepas.
Safmarine said a sixth vessel will be added to the service to accommodate the extra port calls. Five Maersk vessels in the 1,680-TEU range operate the service.
Safmarine Far East-South Africa trade manager Alan Mileham said the line's Beira imports/exports will move to the expanded service, which Safmarine calls Safari 3.
"Until now the most eastbound cargo shipped from central and northern Mozambique and neighbouring countries [Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi] via Beira has had to move via feeder vessel to Durban, from where it was shipped on the Safari 1 service to the Far East," he said.
"By adding a direct call at Beira and an export Toamasina call on Safari 3, cargo from these regions can now move directly through local ports to the Far East, allowing for quicker access to markets and added convenience for shippers," said Mr Mileham.
"We've seen volumes of cargo shipped via Beira grow more than 30 per cent per annum," he said. "The growth can, in part, be largely attributed to the increased demand in the Far East for southern African agricultural produce and minerals, as well as infrastructure and commercial investments in countries such as Zambia."
ComPair Data's research shows the new service is similar in rotation to a loop from Singapore-based carrier PIL. The line's IOM service has a rotation of Singapore, Toamasina, Maputo, Beira, Pasir Gudang and Singapore, though the service is not always regularly offered.
The new calls are intended to benefit the mining and agricultural sectors in the region, and are being introduced in response to customer demand, said a Safmarine official.
The service, run with its recently absorbed Safmarine unit will add a call at Beira and a second call at Toamasina from mid-October, which will then rotate through Tanjung Pelepas, Port Louis, Port Reunion, Toamasina, Maputo, Beira, Toamasina and return to Tanjung Pelepas.
Safmarine said a sixth vessel will be added to the service to accommodate the extra port calls. Five Maersk vessels in the 1,680-TEU range operate the service.
Safmarine Far East-South Africa trade manager Alan Mileham said the line's Beira imports/exports will move to the expanded service, which Safmarine calls Safari 3.
"Until now the most eastbound cargo shipped from central and northern Mozambique and neighbouring countries [Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi] via Beira has had to move via feeder vessel to Durban, from where it was shipped on the Safari 1 service to the Far East," he said.
"By adding a direct call at Beira and an export Toamasina call on Safari 3, cargo from these regions can now move directly through local ports to the Far East, allowing for quicker access to markets and added convenience for shippers," said Mr Mileham.
"We've seen volumes of cargo shipped via Beira grow more than 30 per cent per annum," he said. "The growth can, in part, be largely attributed to the increased demand in the Far East for southern African agricultural produce and minerals, as well as infrastructure and commercial investments in countries such as Zambia."
ComPair Data's research shows the new service is similar in rotation to a loop from Singapore-based carrier PIL. The line's IOM service has a rotation of Singapore, Toamasina, Maputo, Beira, Pasir Gudang and Singapore, though the service is not always regularly offered.