Three carriers enter Atlantic trade with RTW service
China Shipping Container Lines, Norasia and Gold Star Line will enter the transatlantic westbound trade in February as part of a joint round-the-world service linking ports in North Europe, the United States, Asia, the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East.
Norasia will be re-entering the transatlantic trade “after an absence of many years,” said Jamshed Safdar, head of marketing of the shipping line.
China Shipping will operate its first Atlantic service since the company was founded in 1998, and will thereby fill the remaining gap in its east/west network.
Gold Star Line, a Hong Kong-based shipping line owned by Zim Israel Navigation, is also new to the Atlantic trade.
Subject to approval by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, the westbound round-the-world service is planned to commence in February. It will deploy 12 ships of about 3,000 TEUs in capacity and 21 to 22 knots in speed. Norasia will deploy eight vessels on this service, while Gold Star will contribute three and China Shipping one.
The service will have a rotation of Dubai, Mundra (India), Nhava Sheva, Tuticorin (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Damietta (Egypt), Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Hamburg, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Kingston, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Singapore, Port Kelang (Malaysia) and Dubai.
The joint service will also provide an all-water link from the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East to the U.S. via the Suez canal and North Europe, and a westbound-only transpacific service. Both China Shipping and Norasia are already active in the transpacific trade.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, Norasia is owned by the Chilean group Compania Sud Americana de Vapores.