Sea Star launches new weekly service to Puerto Rico

Carrier rushed to market ahead of schedule because of strong demand.    Sea Star Line’s new barge service to Puerto Rico from the Port of Jacksonville began Thursday, one week earlier than initially scheduled, the port authority announced.
   Last week, Sea Star announced that based on market demand the new weekly service was being moved up from its original Jan. 29 start date.
   The company has leased two 800-TEU barges and is in the process of acquiring 1,750 dry and refrigerated containers, 185 generator sets and 400 chassis to support the weekly barge service. Barges are scheduled to depart JaxPort and San Juan every Thursday.
   The new service supplements Sea Star’s two vessel calls per week and acts as a bridge until the first of its new liquefied natural gas-powered vessels are delivered in October, according to the company.
   Sea Star, a subsidiary of TOTE, says it has 21 percent more refrigerated container capacity with 45 weekly slots on the barge and, through modifications to current vessels, an additional 38 weekly slots for total refrigerated capacity of 467 slots per week. Sea Star has also established relationships with 100 new independent truckers since the beginning of the year.
   Sea Star’s expansion is a reaction to Horizon Line’s decision to pull out of the Puerto Rico trade as it winds down its business.