Swire Shipping is upgrading vessels on its Westabout
Round the World service that links Europe with the Pacific
region, starting from July when the existing ships will be
phased out and replaced by faster and more modern
multipurpose vessels. The service will then be rebranded as
the Europe Pacific Service (EPS).
The service transports containers, conventional breakbulk,
project and heavy-lift cargo. “The new vessels will offer
shorter transits as a result of their speed, and will also
provide better operating efficiencies and an increase in
container intake and conventional cargo capacity,” Swire
said in a statement.
Under the new arrangement, transit to Papeete and Noumea
will be reduced and a direct call to Brisbane will be added.
The northbound service will offer greater port coverage in
Australia and New Zealand.
“Cargo routed on the existing northbound WRTW trade from
the Pacific and South East Asian regions to Europe will be
accommodated on our existing services ex-Asia, with
on-carriage in Singapore if applicable for direct delivery
to European and Mediterranean ports of call,” said Swire.
“We will announce further details on the Asia to Europe
movement in the coming few weeks.”
The revamped service will use three 1,150-TEU vessels on
a monthly frequency. The port rotation is Hamburg, Antwerp,
Dunkerque and Le Havre, Papeete, Noumea, Algeciras,
Brisbane, Port Kembla, Bluff, Melbourne, Adelaide and
transshipment services to Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and
other Pacific Island destinations.
(SAILINGS/PR/NT)
