Carriers Enhance Asia Latin America Routes

With new realities for the movement of cargo become apparent, companies like Hamburg Süd are restructuring its two services from Asia to the Pacific Coasts of South and North America. The aim is to improve overall service and shorten transit times.

Beginning in January 2006, the shipping line’s China Asia South America Service (CASA) will no longer call on Vancouver and Long Beach, but will, instead, go directly from Asia to Manzanillo, Mexico and the South American West Coast.

Understanding its importance, the northbound route has been designed for the fastest transit times from Chile to reefer markets in Japan and China. It will be operated twice a week with nine vessels for each and a round trip voyage time of 63 days.

Upgrading its service from every two weeks to weekly coverage, the shipping line will offer new service from Vancouver, Seattle, Oakland, Long Beach and Ensenada to Manzanillo, where it will connect to the enhanced CASA service. Three 1,100 TEU container vessels will service the new route.

Although the shipping lines are determining ports on which they will call, they have decided on having nine 2,000 TEU class containerships providing weekly service.