Safmarine adds capacity and China calls to Safari service
Safmarine has announced that it is upgrading its Safari shipping services between the Far East and South Africa through the deployment of new larger and faster vessels and the inclusion of a direct port of call at Ningbo, China.
Singapore and Koishung will, on the other hand, be dropped at this stage from the existing two-string service.
The service will see the addition of two new vessels by mid-May, after two extra 4,154 TEU containerships, the Safmarine Meru and Safmarine Mulanje, joined the Safari 1 service at the beginning of the year.
A significant feature of the revised Safari services will be twice-weekly calls in China, with both the main and second string Safari services offering direct calls, a company statement said.
As a result the service will offer faster transit times, with the journey from Shanghai to Durban taking 18 days, Yantian to Durban 13 days, and Durban to Hong Kong 16 days starting in April.
The new port rotation for the Safari 1 string from April 8 will be: Durban, Cape Town, Port Louis, Tanjung Pelepas, Yantian, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, returning to Durban. A total of seven vessels will be deployed on the main string, down from the current eight ships.
Starting mid-May, the revised Safari 2 port rotation will be: Port Elizabeth, Durban, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Louis, and back to Port Elizabeth. A total of six vessels will be deployed on the second string, up from the existing five-vessel string.
Singapore and Koishung will, on the other hand, be dropped at this stage from the existing two-string service.
The service will see the addition of two new vessels by mid-May, after two extra 4,154 TEU containerships, the Safmarine Meru and Safmarine Mulanje, joined the Safari 1 service at the beginning of the year.
A significant feature of the revised Safari services will be twice-weekly calls in China, with both the main and second string Safari services offering direct calls, a company statement said.
As a result the service will offer faster transit times, with the journey from Shanghai to Durban taking 18 days, Yantian to Durban 13 days, and Durban to Hong Kong 16 days starting in April.
The new port rotation for the Safari 1 string from April 8 will be: Durban, Cape Town, Port Louis, Tanjung Pelepas, Yantian, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Tanjung Pelepas, returning to Durban. A total of seven vessels will be deployed on the main string, down from the current eight ships.
Starting mid-May, the revised Safari 2 port rotation will be: Port Elizabeth, Durban, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Port Louis, and back to Port Elizabeth. A total of six vessels will be deployed on the second string, up from the existing five-vessel string.
