New short sea service plans April start-up

New short sea service plans April start-up SeaBridge Freight plans to begin a new container-on-barge service connecting Port Manatee, Fla., and Port of Brownsville, Texas, in late April.
   SeaBridge will use a 600-TEU barge and initially offer port calls every 10 days, but the company plans to add a second sailing within a year to offer five-day frequency.
   The service will be offered to freight forwarders, third-party logistics providers, trucking carriers and intermodal rail providers.
   “To date, the response from intermodal carriers and third-party logistics providers has been extremely positive and we look forward to helping them add value to their existing services and to developing new markets,” said Hank Hoffman, SeaBridge Freight president and chief executive officer.
   SeaBridge plans to make Port Manatee, at the entrance to Tampa Bay, headquarters for the new operation, and will focus on containerized as well as oversize and overweight cargo including steel coils, tile, automobiles, car tires, automobile batteries, consumer goods, U.S. government freight, aluminum ingots, resins, consumer goods, heavy equipment and manufacturing assemblies.