The Netherlands-headquartered shipping line Universal Africa Lines (UAL) recently added Port Houston’s City Docks to its liner service that connects the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico with West Africa.
UAL, which specializes in servicing the oil and gas industry and tailoring logistics solutions for clients shipping to difficult areas, will now offer up to three direct sailings per month from Houston to West Africa.
“Port Houston is excited about our new partnership with UAL and that it is entrusting us with their services here at the port’s city docks,” said Dominic Sun, director of trade development for Port Houston.
UAL officials said they chose Port Houston due to the available dedicated lay-down area for project cargoes and berth availability, both of which provided flexibility to UAL’s multipurpose fleet, particularly important due to UAL’s cargoes that range from helicopters to subsea trees- control systems for underwater oil fields.
“UAL is grateful for the partnership we have been able to establish with Port Houston and thank everyone involved for their efforts during this transition. we are looking forward to a long-lasting relationship that offers growth potential for UAL,” said Dianna Knight, president of UAL America. “We are confident this move will help with our vessel turn-around time while operating in a safe environment.”
The change was effective with the first regular vessel call of the MV MarMalaita on July 10. The company, which was founded in 1985, is a conventional ocean transportation carrier that specializes in handling project cargo, breakbulk and containers,
Universal Africa Lines also has a fleet of more than 4,000 containers including reefers, high cubes, open tops and flat racks, with the ability to provide a multitude of shipping options including door-to-door service.
Regular ports of call for UAL include Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Mauritania and Nigeria.