Safmarine, Maersk add Indian Ocean-Africa-Midddle East link
Safmarine and Maersk Sealand, the two container shipping companies of the A.P. Moller-Maersk group, have introduced a direct weekly service connecting ports in the Indian Ocean islands, South Africa and the Middle East.
The service has a rotation of Salalah, Oman; Port Reunion, Reunion island; Port Louis, Mauritius; Toamasina, Madagascar; Durban, South Africa; and back to Salalah. Four vessels of average 620-TEU capacities are used in the service.
Ivan Heesom-Green, Safmarine’s liner director, said the increase in reefer capacity will benefit South African fruit exporters with an eye on expanding their foothold in the Middle East market.
The Indian Ocean Service also provides a transshipment option for shipments to the East Mediterranean and North African markets, with transshipment of cargo via the hub of Salalah, Safmarine said.
The Indian Ocean Service runs partly parallel to “Samba” service of Maersk and Safmarine between South America, South Africa and the Middle East, and which previously called at the Indian Ocean islands westbound from Salalah. The Samba service now calls at Durban and Cape Town westbound from Salalah, and calls Cape Town and Port Elizabeth eastbound to the Middle East.