Maersk adds calls to Asia/E.Africa loop

Maersk adds calls to Asia/E.Africa loop    Maersk Line is adding calls in South China to a service linking the Far East and East Africa, according to a statement from Maersk subsidiary Safmarine Tuesday.
   The line's Mashariki service will add calls at Nansha and Yantian to its existing rotation, which is Tanjung Pelepas, Mombassa, Dar es Salaam, and Tanjung Pelepas, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   Safmarine didn't specify where the new calls would come in the rotation, but did say transit times from Nansha (in the west Pearl River Delta) to Mombassa would be 19 days. Given that the current transit time from Tanjung Pelepas to Mombassa is 12 days, according to ComPair Data, it appears the South China calls will come before Tanjung Pelepas.
   Maersk currently operates the service with six vessels with an average capacity of 2,036 TEUs on a 42-day roundtrip, including nearly weeklong calls in Mombassa and Dar es Salaam. A Safmarine spokesperson told American Shipper the revised service will be operated with seven vessels of between 1,700 TEUs and 2,500 TEUs of capacity.
   The revised rotation goes into effect Jan. 5.