Norfolk expects export bump from MSC double call

   Mediterranean Shipping Co. will make a double call in Norfolk with its Golden Gate service between Asia and the U.S. East Coast, beginning the first week of February, according to Virginia Port Authority spokesman Joe Harris and American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   The service, which transits the Suez Canal in both directions, also changed the order of arrival for several ports. The new rotation is Ningbo, Shanghai, Chiwan, Yantian, Singapore, Salaleh, New York, Norfolk, Baltimore, Savannah, Freeport, Charleston, Norfolk, Jeddah, Colombo, Singapore, Chiwan, Hong Kong, and Ningbo. Flip flopping positions were Baltimore and Norfolk, and Charleston and Savannah, according to ComPair Data‘s ocean shipping database.
   Norfolk will now be the last departure destination from the East Coast. Harris said the Port of Virginia’s central location on the eastern seaboard will allow shippers to postpone having to place inventory at sea while vessels collect cargo along the East Coast and the Bahamas before returning to Asia. Instead, they can wait several days and ship product to the Port of Virginia’s APM Terminal in Portsmouth to connect with MSC vessels on their outbound leg, enhancing cash flow and reducing costs.
   “We think we’ll be in a good position to capture a lot of export business that normally transits Charleston or Baltimore,” he said.
   Shippers have the option of transporting their cargo by truck or rail to Portsmouth.   
   CSX is MSC’s primary intermodal carrier in the eastern part of the United States and began full on-dock rail service at the APM Terminal early this month after making improvements on its Mid-Atlantic network to accommodate double-stack trains as part of its National Gateway initiative.
   The Port of Virginia operates an inland port in Front Royal, in the northern part of the state, which serves as a truck-rail transfer point for cargo moving to and from the seaport.
   MSC added Savannah to the Golden Gate service in November. MSC operates the service with 12 vessels, which have average capacity of 8,000 TEUs. — Eric Kulisch