Lines start Southeast Asia/East Africa loop

Lines start Southeast Asia/East Africa loop    Evergreen Line, Wan Hai, MOL and Seacon said Thursday they will start a service linking major ports in Southeast Asia with East Africa.
   The six-ship service, which Evergreen dubs AEF, will begin April 24 with a rotation of Singapore, Port Klang, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Singapore. Evergreen and Wan Hai will provide two vessels each, with MOL and Seacon providing one each. Ships on the service will have 1,200 to 1,350 TEUs of capacity. NYK Line said Friday it will join as a slot buyer.
   According to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data, those ports are connected on four services — MOL and Delmas two-string EAX service, PIL's seven-ship EAS service, and Emirates Shipping Line's three-ship AFA loop.
   Evergreen and Wan Hai also partner on a service connecting the South Asian transshipment hub of Colombo and East Africa.