In order to cover peak seasonal requirements, Hamburg Süd and Maersk Line have opted to introduce a second string in their service between Asia, South Africa and the East Coast of South America.
According to a joint statement, the second string will be operated with 10 vessels with an effective capacity of 2,100 TEU, comprised of five vessels from each group.
Starting from 1 July, the first string of the service will call at Nagoya, Yokohama, Pusan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Sepetiba, Santos, Buenos Aires, Ro Grande, Navegantes, Paranagua, Santos, Singapore, Hong Kong and Nagoya.
The second string will have a port rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Dachan Bay, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas, Durban, Santos, Itajai, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Shanghai.
'The two strings are structured and coordinated in such a way that they provide for the most complete coverage in the trade with fast transit times between key port pairs,' the groups noted. 'The two-string configuration is implemented to cope with peak season demand, which is expected to last through to November, whereafter the lines intend to return to a single-string configuration.'
