NORASIA OWNERS TO SWITCH TO “EXPRESS” LINER SHIPPING

NORASIA OWNERS TO SWITCH TO “EXPRESS” LINER SHIPPING

NORASIA OWNERS TO SWITCH TO “EXPRESS” LINER SHIPPING

   Swiss-based Norasia Lines said that it will move out of traditional liner shipping and into “express” shipping services, following the sale of the company’s liner operations to Compania Sud America de Vapores.
   The previous owners of Norasia “will now fully concentrate to provide selective express services with a new generation of very fast containerships with speed capabilities from 25 to over 40 knots,” a spokesman for the company said.
   Norasia said that it is planning to launch an express Hong Kong/Trieste shuttle service that is not part of the sale to CSAV. The service is expected to use fast 25-knot 1,400-TEU ships built in 1998 and 1999 by Norasia.
   The express liner services planned by Norasia’s former owners will be marketed and operated under new names, as CSAV has acquired exclusive rights to use the trade name “Norasia.”
   The current liner services of Norasia were sold to Compania Sud America de Vapores through a newly formed company named Norasia Container Lines Ltd., Malta.