Maersk trims WAF loops

   The ocean carrier Maersk Line has trimmed its Mediterranean-to-West Africa services by terminating its WAF10 service while simultaneously slowing its WAF1 and speeding up its WAF3. 
   Maersk has suspended its dedicated weekly WAF10 service between the carrier’s West-Mediterranean hubs in Tangiers and Algeciras and Conakry, Guinea. 
   The WAF10 had been operating with two Maersk vessels and one from subsidiary Safmarine with an average capacity of 2,415 TEUs and a port rotation of Tangiers, Algeciras, Conakry, and Tangiers. 
   This move was foreshadowed in June, when Maersk slowed its WAF13 loop from 28 days to 35 days and added a new call at Conakry, presumably to ensure port coverage once the WAF10 was terminated (reported by American Shipper June 11).
   Meanwhile, Maersk has also added a new fortnightly call at San Pedro, Côte d’Ivoire, to one of its other weekly Mediterranean-to-West Africa services, the WAF1, along with a fifth vessel, increasing roundtrip voyage time on the loop from 28 days to 35 days.
   Transit times on the WAF1 loop have increased by about seven days southbound from the West Mediterranean to West Africa, now taking 16 days from Tangiers, Morocco to Tema, Ghana. The revised rotation of the five-ship average 2,088-TEUs WAF1 is Tangiers, Algeciras, Tema, Takoradi (fortnightly), San Pedro (fortnightly), and Tangiers. Subsidiary Safmarine continues to take slots. 
   In addition, Maersk has sped up its WAF3 loop, removing one vessel from the existing six and decreasing roundtrip voyage time from 42 days to 35 days. 
   Transit times on the WAF3, however, remain roughly the same as vessels will no longer slow steam one week between Apapa and Tin Can Island in Lagos, Nigeria. The WAF3 is operated with four Maersk vessels and one from Safmarine with an average capacity of 2,470 TEUs and the port rotation remains Tangiers, Algeciras, Apapa, Tin Can Island, and Tangiers. 
   Including the WAF1 and WAF3, Maersk now operates a total of ten direct weekly services between Tangiers/Algeciras and West Africa, the others being its WAF2, WAF5, WAF6, WAF7, WAF8, WAF9, WAF11 and WAF13 loops. – ComPair Data, Ben Meyer