Safmarine has confirmed that it is set to offer customers additional space on its Asia-East Coast South America (ASAS) service, which is being upgraded to meet anticipated peak season demand.
As of this month, the service will be operated by two strings which have been coordinated in such as way that they provide for the 'most complete coverage' in the Asia-East Coast South America trade, the group said, with fast transit times between key port pairs.
Safmarine is a slot charterer on the ASAS service and, according to liner executive Jan Scheck, has successfully secured slots on both strings that will operate for the months leading up to December.
'Not only will this new arrangement allow us to offer new, direct product from/to Da Chan Bay and Ningbo in the Far East and Itajai in East Coast South America, but we also expect certain improvements in schedule reliability and transit times,' Mr Scheck noted.
The port rotation of the first string is Nagoya, Yokohama, Pusan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Sepetiba, Santos, Buenos Aires, Rio Grande, Navegantes, Paranagua, Santos, Singapore, Hong Kong and Nagoya.
String two will see a port rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Da Chan Bay, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Durban, Santos, Itajai, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Shanghai.
