MAERSK LINE TO RESTART COLOMBO - MALE ROUTE

Maersk Line to restart operations in Maldives

The world’s largest container shipping company introduced a weekly service between Colombo and Male offering better connectivity through their best-in-class network.

Maersk LineMaersk Line announced that the company has restarted its shipping operations to the Republic of Maldives on the heels of a rapidly growing market and for meeting customer needs.
 
The world’s largest container shipping company introduced a weekly service between Colombo and Male offering better connectivity through their best-in-class network. The initiative also aims to provide a strategic trade opportunity to all the countries in South Asia.
 
“Maldives has a flourishing tourism market and offers an excellent opportunity for global trade. Interestingly, around 90% of Maldives' trade is import-driven and spearheaded by China, India, and Sri Lanka. We believe that the weekly feeder service between Colombo, Sri Lanka and Male, Maldives will facilitate better trade in the region. Besides, we are now equipped with better control and processes to handle these locations and thus will prove to be a reliable, convenient and time-saving service”, said Steve Felder, Maersk Line Managing Director for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.
 
 Maersk Line is the market leader on the trade lanes from China and India into Sri Lanka. The new service will offer customers access to the best-in-class network and better cargo connectivity with optimal transit time of 18-26 days.
 
“China, India & Sri Lanka being main origins for Maldivian imports, exporters in these markets will benefit the most by having a reliable & trusted -partner in Maersk Line,” he adds.
 
 The global containerised shipping company uses technology like Advanced Remote Container Management (RCM) that can track reefer containers as well as offers superior customer services like dedicated sales and customer service agents for a seamless shipment experience.

EVERGREEN EXPANSION IN EASTERN AFRICA

In order to meet increasing and diverse market demands, Evergreen Line has announced enhancements to its current Asia – East Africa service (AEF) – adding to its direct calls in Central & Southern China.

Five vessels are currently deployed on the AEF service – three operated by Evergreen Line, the remaining two by COSCO and X-Press Feeders. To accommodate the extended service to China, Evergreen Line and COSCO will each provide one more vessel. As such a total of seven ships with an average capacity of 4,200 TEU will be utilized with a service rotation of seven weeks.
In addition to the current AEF calls in Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya, the extended weekly service will provide a direct connection between three Chinese ports and Kenya. The jointly operated service will commence with a sailing from Shanghai on July 5th, 2018 and have the following port rotation:

Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas – Port Klang (West Port) – Colombo – Mombasa – Colombo – Port Klang (West Port) – Tanjung Pelepas – Singapore – Shanghai

The economic development of the East African region in recent years has been one of consistent growth. As a major trading partner, Chinese investment plays an important role in this growth and, in particular has lead infrastructure construction, a significant driver of increased import cargoes to the area. The AEF service extension therefore is an appropriate reaction to customer demands within the China – East Africa trade. With the advent of peak season in July, this upgraded AEF service will certainly be a great assistance for shippers on this trade lane.

Source: Evergreen