Maersk cutting Florida call from ECSA service

Maersk cutting Florida call from ECSA service Maersk Line says it will cut calls at Port Everglades, Itajai, Salvador and Kingston in an effort to increase schedule reliability for its 'NASA' U.S. East Coast/East Coast of South America service.
   Maersk merged its two ECSA services in October, cutting some South America calls and shifting its South Florida call on the NASA service from Miami to Port Everglades. The Maersk-affiliated terminal operator APM has terminals at each port.
   All of the changes have been attributed to the need to improve schedule reliability in the trade lane.
   'By providing a direct service from ECSA to the U.S., with no port calls in Central America or the Caribbean, we take a significant advantage against our competitors in regards to schedule reliability in what is presently a challenging operating environment,' a statement from Maersk said.
   The revised service, which begins with the voyage of the Maersk Nanhai from Rio Grande on December 31, will have a port rotation of New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Charleston, Rio Grande, Sao Francisco do Sul, Santos, Suape, and New York/New Jersey.
   The Kingston cal has been northbound on the existing schedule.
   Maersk charters space to APL, CMA CGM, and Mitsui O.S.K. Line on the NASA service.