Sea Star finalizes barge lease agreement

The ocean liner carrier leased two 800-TEU barges for service to Puerto Rico.    Ocean liner carrier Sea Star Line, LLC has leased two barges for service in the Puerto Rico trade, adding a combined 1,600 TEUs of additional capacity to the lane.
   The carrier will deploy the barges on a fixed-day weekly service between Jacksonville, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico with a transit time of six days. The service will commence Jan. 29, transporting primarily dry and refrigerated containers.
   Sea Star, part of TOTE, said in a statement that the company “has on-hired over 2,100 pieces of equipment to support the additional capacity.”
   The carrier has two additional new ships currently under construction at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. shipyard in San Diego, both of which will be deployed in the Puerto Rico trade. The first of these ships, dubbed the Marlin Class, is scheduled to enter service this fall.
   Tim Nolan, president of Sea Star Line, said “The new barge service will compliment Sea Star Line’s current two vessel calls per week and ultimately act as a bridge until the first of new Marlin Class vessels are delivered in October of this year.”