ARGENTINE LINE MARUBA ENTERS TRANSPACIFIC TRADE

ARGENTINE LINE MARUBA ENTERS TRANSPACIFIC TRADE    Maruba s.c.a., the Argentinian niche carrier, has entered the high-volume transpacific trade by launching a small twice-monthly California/Mexica/Asia service as an extension of its Mexico/Central America/West Coast of South America service.
   Maruba and service partners Lykes Lines, TMM Lines and Columbus Line are extending their joint Mexico/West Coast of South America service to Los Angeles and ports in Asia.
   Maruba, Lykes and TMM will market the transpacific leg of the service, but not Columbus Line. Lykes and TMM were already active in the transpacific trade.
   For Maruba, the first sailing from Asia to the U.S. was the vessel “Julia Oldendorf,” which arrived in Long Beach on June 13.
   Five 1,200-TEU ships are deployed in the service, with a rotation of Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Pusan, Long Beach, Manzanillo, Puerto Quetzal, Puerto Caldera, Guayaquil, Callao, Iquique, San Antonio, Callao, Buenaventura, Puerto Caldera, Salina Cruz, Manzanillo, Long Beach, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Busan.
   The transit times of the new transpacific service are posted on the free global sailing schedule database ComPairSchedules at www.compairschedules.com.
   Maruba joins Wan Hai, of Taiwan, and Lloyd Triestino, of Italy, as the third carrier to enter the booming Pacific trade this year.