The four shipping lines (Safmarine, MOL, DAL and Maersk Line) in the SAECS vessel-sharing agreement in the trade between Europe and Southern Africa have agreed to add a seventh vessel to the SAECS Core Service.

The addition of a seventh vessel comes in response to continued operational challenges at the ports of call and is aimed at meeting the levels of service expected by exporters and importers.

According to Safmarine's SA Trades Executive, Alex de Bruyn, 'The partner lines in the Europe-South Africa trade have made a substantial investment in acquiring an additional vessel in order to ensure all our customers ' including fruit exporters - receive a more reliable service during the peak season."

The current schedule (port rotation) will remain unchanged as the addition of the seventh vessel is aimed at ensuring schedule reliability, thereby illustrating the commitment from the shipping lines concerned to provide a best-in-class service for the trade.

The additional vessel, Lica Maersk, has the same specifications as the remaining specialized reefer tonnage on the service and it will join the 'SAECS Core Service' on November 11, 2007.

SAECS consists of four independent shipping lines that share vessels on two services catering to the markets in Southern Africa and Europe. The two services are the SAECS Core Service and the SAECS Intermediate Service.