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Maersk Line will deploy more vessels on the Asia-West Africa route to serve growing trade flows, said Keith Svendsen, head of the company's East China cluster.
The move is also intended to maintain Maersk's leading market share on these routes, reported China Daily.
"Asian-West African trade has been one of the fastest-growing markets in the past few years, and it is expected to maintain 15 percent to 20 percent year-on-year growth over the next three years," he said.
Sino-African trade plays a significant role. "One in three containers in the world serves China. We have seen significant trade flows from China to other emerging markets and Africa is an important part of the story," Svendsen said.
The vessels, known as West Africa Max ships, with a capacity of 4,500 containers, are said by the company to be the largest container ships that ply the route.
The company ordered 22 such vessels from South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries. Six went into service on May 21 and another three are scheduled for delivery by the end of the year, according to the company. The rest are still under construction.
All will be dedicated to Asian-West African trade, connecting Chinese and African ports, Svendsen said.
Currently, Maersk operates three routes between Asia and West Africa. Two serve major Chinese ports such as Shanghai, Ningbo and Hong Kong. The ships sail for Africa bearing building materials, machinery and daily necessities. They return with commodities such as cotton or wood.
Cargonews Asia
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