Econocaribe partnering with Ecu-Line for Europe

Econocaribe partnering with Ecu-Line for Europe Miami-based Econocaribe Consolidators has reached an agreement with Antwerp-based non-vessel-operating common carrier Ecu-Line to represent one another in their respective U.S. and European markets.
   The agreement will take effect April 1, with Econocaribe handling inbound U.S. shipment from Europe and offering export service to Europe that will be handled by Ecu-Line in Europe, Econocaribe President John Abisch said Tuesday.
   Abisch said he expects the agreement to initially have the most impact on Econocaribe's New York-New Jersey and Chicago operations, with significant U.S. inbound volumes from Europe and enough U.S. export cargo to justify the weekly direct services from New York-New Jersey to Northern Europe.
   Econocaribe is best known for its presence in the Caribbean islands and Latin America, where it has been active since the company was founded in 1968. But Econocaribe also has offices in New Jersey, Atlanta, Chicago, Atlanta and Charleston, S.C. It has a cooperative agreement in the U.S. Gulf Coast with Genesis Ltd., which will be working with Econocaribe to handle cargo between the Gulf region and Europe.
   Ecu-Line, meanwhile, is a major NVO in Europe, serving 60 cities throughout the Continent, Abisch noted
   Econocaribe has been offering service to Europe on a limited basis through a series of agent agreements in individual countries. But by working in cooperation with Ecu-Line, Abisch said, Econocaribe will be able to dramatically increase service options into Europe.
   'I get asked all the time when we're going to get more European services,' Abisch said. 'But before we expanded there I wanted to be able to assure customers we'd offer them the same service in Europe that we do in the Caribbean and Latin America. With Ecu-Line, I'm confident we will now be able to do that.'
   He said Econocaribe is in discussions with its existing partners in Europe, and will likely continue to handle inbound freight to the U.S. generated by some of those partners. But some of the cooperative agreements could come to an end as a result of the Ecu-Line agreement, he added.