Columbia Coastal barge service links Baltimore, Philadelphia

Columbia Coastal barge service links Baltimore, Philadelphia

Columbia Coastal Transport, which operates U.S.-flag container barges on regularly scheduled feeder routes between U.S. Atlantic Coast ports and Freeport Bahamas, has begun a new weekly service linking the ports of Baltimore and Philadelphia.

   The company's 450-TEU barge, the 'Columbia Charleston,' will be deployed in its new weekly Philadelphia-Baltimore rotation. The barge will load in Philadelphia on Mondays for the next six weeks. Commencing April 12, the barge will move to a fixed weekly schedule, sailing from Philadelphia on Tuesdays.

   'The addition of Philadelphia to our roster of U.S. port connections now makes it possible for carriers to extend their service reach in the Mid-Atlantic and into the Chesapeake region without the expense of adding a direct ship call,' said Bruce Fenimore, president of Columbia Coastal Transport, which is based in Liberty Corner, N.J.

   'An ongoing shortage of truck power is forcing steamship companies to look for (other) options to move their cargo,' Fenimore added.