CSAV joins the crowd with Far East-South Africa service

CHILEAN shipping company CSAV plans to start its new Far East-South Africa service from late July, deploying seven 2,500-TEU ships between Xingang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Durban and Cape Town, returning to Xingang via Singapore.

It`s a popular route these days, remarked American Shipper "with 15 services connecting China with Durban or Cape Town".



The New Discovery service will reinforce CSAV`s "commitment to the South African market while strengthening its competitive position in the region," said the company.



CSAV now calls at Durban but the new link will also feature calls at Cape Town, thus "giving CSAV direct access to South Africa`s bullish western Cape economy and the country`s largest fruit exporting region", noted London`s Containerisation International.



As a result of the change, Durban will no longer be a port of call east- and westbound on the CSAV`s ASAS pendulum service linking the Far East-South Africa and the east coast of South America. From the end of July the ASAS service will be revamped as simple Asia-east coast South America string.