MSC throws lifeline to Timaru port
PrimePort Timaru has been thrown a container service lifeline by Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC), which will begin a weekly container service through the port on October 10, reported New Zealand Transport Intelligence Briefing.
The new service will give exporters a direct weekly service to Australia and Southeast Asia with connections to the US, Europe and other parts of the world.
The shipping company is adding the South Canterbury port to its Capricorn Service, which comprises port calls at Bluff, Port Chalmers, Timaru, Lyttelton, Napier, Tauranga, Brisbane, Singapore and Jakarta.
The move is expected to save 20 waterfront jobs at the port. The Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Federation of NZ (CBAFF) has hailed MSC’s decision to add Timaru to it’s NZ schedule.
CBAFF vice-president Trevor Duxfield says the move will not only reduce planned job cuts at the port but also provide benefits for importers and exporters including providing South Canterbury exporters with a direct link to Asia.
“It is very good news that the 50 job losses announced due to the loss of the Maersk and Hamburg Sud business will now be reduced to 30. It is a boost for the port and the community and also good for importers and exporters because this provides a welcome alternative to having to truck or rail containers to Dunedin or Lyttelton and will reduce costs in the supply chain.”