Rickmers-Linie to add Pacific voyages via Eastern Car Liner charters

Rickmers-Linie to add Pacific voyages via Eastern Car Liner charters    Hamburg, Germany-based breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo shipping line Rickmers-Linie has signed a two-year charter agreement for four multipurpose vessels operated by Japanese Eastern Car Liner (ECL) in the Asia/U.S. East Coast trade, to start westbound transpacific voyages.
   Under the terms of the agreement, ECL will deliver its ships after the end of each monthly eastbound voyage to Rickmers-Linie, who will then charter the ships for transpacific westbound voyages and redeliver them to ECL in Japan.
   The four 11,000-deadweight-ton vessels are equipped with roll-on/roll-off ramps and heavy lift gear capable of lifting loads of up to 120 tons.
   Rickmers-Linie will start its new westbound service later this month with calls at Philadelphia, Charleston, Houston, Busan, Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai and Yokohama.
   ECL’s existing eastbound service calls Kanazawa, Osaka, Nagoya, Moji, Puerto Bolivar, Savannah and Philadelphia.