Maersk drops Norfolk call on Latin link

Maersk drops Norfolk call on Latin link    Maersk Line said this week it has changed the rotation of a service linking the U.S. East Coast with Central America.
   As of last week, the carrier's South Atlantic Express has a rotation of Puerto Cortes; Santo Tomas; Miami; Savannah, Ga.; Wilmington, N.C.; Newark, N.J.; Norfolk, Va.; Wilmington; Miami; and Puerto Cortes.
   The new alignment skips the previous northbound call at Norfolk so ships sail directly from Wilmington to Newark. The carrier said this speeds up transit time to Newark by one day.
   'Note that we will still call at Norfolk on the southbound sailing, making a combined import/export call,' Maersk said.
   According to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data, the service previously called at Norfolk in both directions. It is operated with three Maersk ships, with an average capacity of 1,505 TEUs. APL is a slot buyer on the service.