The Spondylus service, which will call at PAMT once a week, is the latest addition to the terminal’s growing list of cargo services, and it follows by one month the arrival of the CMA CGM’s Black Pearl Service, which commenced at PAMT on Jan. 28 and is now fully operational. The Black Pearl Service links on northbound routes from San Antonio and Arica in Chile; Callao in Peru; Guayaquil in Ecuador; and also Manzanillo, Panama; Kingston, Jamaica; and Miami. Three ships carrying refrigerated cargoes already have called at PAMT, and bigger ships are anticipated in the coming weeks.
The arrival of Maersk’s Spondylus and CMA CGM’s Black Pearl services continues the trend of cargo growth at Packer, where cargo volumes increased by 10 percent in 2010. As a result of the continued growth, more than 200 new jobs have been created at Packer – a number expected to continue to grow in 2011.
“We welcome the new Maersk Spondylus service, which broadens our already wide array of service at the Terminal,” said Thomas J. Holt Jr., President of Astro Holdings, Inc., which leases PAMT under a long-term concession with the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. “The fact that the world’s most prominent lines want to do business with us is great news for the Port of Philadelphia and highlights the Port’s ever-growing role in the world’s commerce markets.”
Spondylus will offer northbound service starting from Paita, Peru, with stops in Guayaquil in Ecuador, Balboa in Panama and Miami and Newark, N.J. before arriving in Philadelphia. That trip will take 12 days and cargo is expected to include containerized fruit and produce.
The southbound deployment starts in Newark and makes stops in Philadelphia, Savannah, Ga., and Miami before several South American stops, terminating in Paita.
Key advantages of the service include weekend arrivals, allowing for Monday morning cargo availability, and on site inspections by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
