SAFMARINE LAUNCHES MULTIPURPOSE U.S. GULF/WEST AFRICA SERVICE

SAFMARINE LAUNCHES MULTIPURPOSE U.S. GULF/WEST AFRICA SERVICE    Safmarine, an ocean carrier owned by the A.P. Moller Group, on Tuesday launched its Commodity and Oil Rig Express (COREX) service between the U.S. Gulf and West Africa.
   The multipurpose vessel service replaces a service operated by Torm Lines, which A.P. Moller acquired in September 2002. Safmarine said the new service offers a more direct route between ports of the U.S. Gulf and West Africa, including a 22-day transit between Houston and Onne/Port Harcourt, a hub for the Nigerian oil industry.
   The new service also complements Safmarine multipurpose vessel services between Europe and West Africa and between Southern and West Africa.
   The service's port rotation is New Orleans; Houston; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Onne, Nigeria; Lagos, Nigeria; Luba, Equatorial Guinea; Douala, Cameroon; Takoradi, Ghana; Abidjan; Brooklyn, N.Y (during cocoa season); Philadelphia, Norfolk; and New Orleans.