YANGMING BACKS OFF ASIA/SOUTH AFRICA/EAST COAST SOUTH AMERICA TRADE

YANGMING BACKS OFF ASIA/SOUTH AFRICA/EAST COAST SOUTH AMERICA TRADE    Taiwanese carrier Yangming Marine said it will stop buying slots on Evergreen’s weekly Asia/South Africa/East Coast South America ESA service from the start of November.
   It is not clear whether Yangming will also withdraw from the trade, but a spokesman for Yangming said it is “exploring several alternatives of substitute services in the trade.”
   The ESA service, operated jointly by Evergreen and China Ocean Shipping Co., uses 10 ships averaging 3,288 TEUs and calls Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Port Louis, Durban, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santos, Cape Town, Durban, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kaohsiung.
   Lloyd Triestino, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Hamburg-Sud, Pro Line and Quadrant Container Line all take space on the service.