Safmarine’s WAF loops flood back to Tangiers

   Following the mass suspension of Safmarine and Maersk’s 12-loop West African feeder fleet from calls at Tangiers in October (reported by American Shipper Nov 4), most of the network has now resumed calling there.
   The three loops WAF1, WAF3, and WAF11 returned in February (reported by American Shipper Feb 9) and now nine out of a total 11 West African feeders are once again calling Tangiers. Only the WAF5 butterfly and Cape Verdes WAF9 still do not.
   The major change is that whereas before October all Maersk’s West African feeders called inbound at Algeciras to discharge West African cargo before calling Tangiers to reload, the operation is now completely reversed. All nine restored feeder loops call at Tangiers inbound first and then load outbound towards West Africa from Algeciras.
   Due to the termination of WAF 12 a number of adjustments have been made to other loops. The revised feeder network includes:

• On WAF1, no additional changes have been made since adding a call at Tangiers back in February, leaving a port rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Tema, Takoradi, Tangiers, and Algeciras. The service has four vessels with an average capacity of 2,281 TEUs.
• WAF2 has added calls at Tangiers, Abidjan, and Cotonou, while dropping a call at Pointe Noire, giving a rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Abidjan, Cotonou, Libreville, and Tangiers. The carrier has also added one vessel to the existing five, increasing voyage length from 35 days to 42 days. The WAF2 now has six vessels with an average capacity of 2,225 TEUs.
• WAF3 has added an additional call at Lagos, leaving a port rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Apapa, Lagos, and Tangiers. Safmarine has also added two vessels to the existing four, increasing round voyage time from 28 days to 42 days. The WAF3 also skipped one sailing position commencing Tangiers on Feb. 18 and is scheduled to skip another commencing April 20. Currently, the service has six vessels with an average capacity of 2,090 TEUs.
• WAF5, the only butterfly service in the portfolio, has not made any significant changes and the service, which has eight vessels with an average capacity of 1,280 TEUs, still does not call at Tangiers.
• WAF6 dropped a call at Cotonou as well as a northbound call at Algeciras, replacing it with a northbound call at Tangiers while leaving a southbound call at Algeciras intact. The revised port rotation of the WAF6 is Antwerp, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Le Havre, Algeciras, Apapa, Douala, Abidjan, Tangiers, and Antwerp. The service has six vessels with an average capacity of 2,478 TEUs.
• WAF7 added a call at Tangiers, giving a port rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Freetown, Monrovia, and Tangiers. The carrier has also added one vessel to the existing three, extending the voyage time from 21 days to 28 days. The WAF7 currently has four vessels with an average capacity of 1,639 TEUs.
• WAF8 added a call at Tangiers, leaving a port rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Noukchott, Banjul, and Tangiers. Safmarine has also added one vessel to the existing three, increasing round voyage time time from 21 days to 28 days. The WAF8 currently has four vessels with an average capacity of 1,682 TEUs.
• WAF9 service, like WAF5, still does not call at Tangiers. The two-ship average 1,162-TEUs WAF9 has a port rotation of Lisbon, Leixoes, Algeciras, St Vincente (Cape Verde), Praia (Cape Verde), Bissau, Nouadhibou, Algeciras, and Lisbon.
• WAF10 added a call at Tangiers, giving a port rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Conakry, and Tangiers. The carrier has removed one vessel from the existing four, reducing roundtrip voyage time from 28 days to 21 days. The WAF10 now has three vessels with an average capacity of 2,177 TEUs.
• WAF11 added a call at Douala, leaving a rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Lome, Onne, Douala, and Tangiers. Safmarine has also added one vessel to the existing four, extending the roundtrip voyage time from 28 days to 35 days. The WAF11 currently has five vessels with an average capacity of 2,483 TEUs.
• Safmarine has suspended the four-ship average 1,226 TEUs WAF12 loop with the prior calls at Abidjan and Cotonou being migrated to the WAF2 to ensure full port coverage.
• WAF13 added a call at Tangiers, giving a rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Dakar, and Tangiers. The carrier also changed both of the vessels on the WAF13, effectively doubling the capacity of the loop. Average capacity has increased from 1,118 TEUs to 2,517 TEUs, an increase of 125 percent.

   An analysis using ComPair Data’s database shows that there are currently 29 services that call at Tangiers, including the nine WAF loops and two additional Asia-Europe loops belonging to Maersk Line.
   French carrier CMA CGM, along with subsidiary Delmas, operates nine Tangiers services and either provide vessels or purchases slots on at two more. Of those CMA CGM group services that call Tangiers, six specifically serve the Europe-West Africa trade.
   New World Alliance member MOL, along with UASC and Hanjin, operates one joint Europe-West Africa service that also calls Tangiers, as does Portuguese carrier Tansinsular. Hamburg Süd operates four services that currently call Tangiers with the help of partners Alianca, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM, though none of these services call in West Africa. Two of the new G6 Alliance’s Asia-Europe services call at Tangiers. — ComPair Data, Ben Meyer