Chilean containership operator Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) have reached a cooperation agreement to jointly operate several trades, according to statement from CSAV.
The agreement involves jointly operating services between north Europe and the West Coast of South America; India and Europe; Asia and South Africa; the East Coast of South America and the Middle East; and South Africa, Middle East and India.
“This agreement will expand our coverage in these markets, improving transit times and frequency allowing us to provide a better service to our customers,” CSAV said.
The company said the move is a sign of CSAV’s positive view towards the future economic growth and development of these important markets and commitment to improve the services provided.
The new services cooperation agreement will come into force no later than the first week of August, and will be initially valid for three years.
The Euroandes (north Europe-West Coast South America) service will deploy eight 5,000 TEU ships instead of seven 2,500 TEU ships.
From 31 July, they will call at: Rotterdam-Antwerp-Felixstowe-Bremerhaven-Hamburg-Caucedo-Cartagena-Cristobal-Balboa-Callao-Puerto Angamos-Coronel-San Antonio-Balboa-Cristobal-Rotterdam.
The service will be complemented at Balboa and Cristobal with three weekly feeder services: Cristobal-Central America, Balbao-Colombia-Peru, and Balboa-Ecuador.
The IMEX service (India-Europe.) will now deploy seven 6,500 TEU vessels with following port rotation: Nhava Sheva-Pipavav-Mundra-Salalah-Jeddah-Gioia-Tauro-Valencia-Bremerhaven-Antwerp-Felixstowe-Salalah-Nhava Sheva.
The ASAX / Marco Polo Service (East Coast South America-Middle East) will consist of two loops; deploying eight 5,000-6,000 TEU ships on the first and five 4,000-to 5,000 TEU on the second.
Loop 1 will call at: Suape-Santos-Buenos Aires-Rio Grande-Navegantes-San Francisco do Sul-Sepetiba-Suape-Las Palmas-Valencia.
??Loop 2 will call at: Salvador-Santos-Rio de Janeiro-Navegantes-Paranagua-Rio Grande-Santos-Las Palmas-Valencia.
The Marco Polo service (South Africa - Middle East - India) will deploy five 2,500-3,000 TEU vessels calling Durban-Jebel Ali-Karachi-Mundra-Nava Sheva-Colombo-Durban.
And the ASAX service (Asia – South Africa) will use seven 4,000-6,700 TEU vessels with a port rotation of Fuzhou-Xiamen-Kaohsiung-Hong Kong-Chiwan-Singapore-Port Louis-Durban-Ngura-Port Louis-Singapore-Fuzhou.
Last month, CSAV suspended its 11-vessel transpacific service, citing declining freight rates and doubts over future demand levels.
??It also axed its 10-vessel Far East-Mediterranean service, citing an “unfavourable economic environment”.
