Maersk Line to add capacity to U.S. East Coast/Central America loop

Maersk Line to add capacity to U.S. East Coast/Central America loop

   Maersk Line will next month add larger ships to its weekly U.S. East Coast/Central America South Atlantic Express (SAE) service.

   Two ships of about 1,800 TEUs will replace two smaller vessels averaging 1,160 TEUs, adding slightly more than 33,000 TEUs in annual one-way capacity to the trade.

   The 1,760-TEU vessel 'Pluto' will phase into the SAE when it departs Norfolk Nov. 5, while the 1,835-TEU 'Pegasus' will join the loop at the same port a week later. Both ships have 350 TEUs of reefer capacity.

   The SAE will maintain its port rotation of Norfolk, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; Port Everglades, Fla.; Puerto Cortes, Honduras; Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala; Port Everglades; Charleston; and back to Norfolk.

   “The upgraded SAE service will provide increased reefer and 45-foot slots compared to today’s deployment, in order to cater for the requirements of the existing market and allow for growth in the U.S. East Coast/Central American markets,” Maersk said in a statement.