CAST REDUCES MONTREAL/NORTH EUROPE COVERAGE

CAST REDUCES MONTREAL/NORTH EUROPE COVERAGE

   Cast, Canada Maritime and OOCL are reducing the number of ports called on one of their three joint services linking Montreal and North Europe.
   The "Route 3" loop, operated with ships of Cast, will no longer call at
the port of Le Havre. The second, westbound call at Liverpool is also
eliminated.
   A spokesman for Cast would not comment on the reasons for the
curtailment of the service. The revised rotation of the service is Montreal, Liverpool, Zeebrugge (for Cast cargoes only) and Montreal.
   Beginning next week, Cast will reduce from four to three the ships
employed in the "Route 3" loop.
   A spokesman for CanMar said that CanMar isn’t affected by the ending of
Le Havre calls on the "Route 3" service because it takes slots on Cast’s
ships only between Montreal and Liverpool.
   The service will continue to call at Liverpool, though the amended
rotation will change transit times to and from Liverpool.
   CanMar and OOCL will continue to operate their two other weekly loops
between Montreal and North Europe — Route 1 and Route 2 — which remain unchanged. With the Route 1 service, CanMar and OOCL continue to offer direct service between Le Havre and Montreal.
   CanMar, OOCL and Cast compete against each other and don’t all serve all the ports at which the ships of the three weekly services call, CanMar said.