Maersk Line said it will begin offering service this month between East Coast ports in North America and South America by transshipping cargo through Algeciras, the Spanish port on the Bay of Gibraltar.
Using ships deployed in its MECL 1 and SAMBA services, Maersk will offer service between the U.S. and Canada to Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
Connecting service to other locations, such as Montreal via Newark, will also be offered.
The MECL 1 service connects U.S. East Coast ports with ports in the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, while the SAMBA service connects East Coast South American ports with ports in North Europe. However, both services stop in Algeciras, affording Maersk the opportunity to interchange boxes between the two strings.
The MECL 1 service is a U.S. flag service using eight containerships, ranging in size between 6,200 TEU and 6,696 TEU. The Samba service uses ships ranging between 7,450 TEU and 8,500 TEU registered in several countries other than the U.S.
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