Starting Feb. 8, ICTSI Oregon Inc. is welcoming a newly expanded containership service offered by Hapag-Lloyd and Hamburg Süd to the Port of Portland.
The service is expected to connect the Pacific Northwest and Mediterranean with direct calls and fixed-day weekly service, plus also offer feeder connections to the Far East, Middle East, Indian Ocean, Latin America and West Africa.
“Portland offers a strong import and export market with a newly deepened navigation channel and excellent intermodal rail, truck and barge connections,” ICTSI Oregon sales and marketing vice president David Trzyzewski said.
ICTSI Oregon, a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc., operates Portland’s Terminal 6 container terminal under a 25-year lease with the port. ICTSI runs 22 container terminals and port projects in 17 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. Portland, however, marks the company’s first entry into the US market.
By bringing in more ships into Portland’s Terminal 6 and improving the regularity of the calls, the service is expected to provide a more efficient, dependable and competitive option for shippers utilizing the Port of Portland, ICTSI says. The addition of Hamburg Süd ships in March should add capacity while reaching new ports overseas.
“This comes as very good news, and it will significantly increase our volumes out of Portland,” said Lee Goodwin, manager of international transportation for Boise Inc. said of the new service. Boise Inc. exports containerized paper products from Pacific Northwest mills through Terminal 6.
“Using this enhanced weekly service will improve efficiency, cost savings and flexibility in our schedules,” Goodwin said.
The planned port rotation for the newly configured North America West Coast service is: Cartagena, Manzanillo in Mexico, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, Oakland, Los Angeles, Manzanillo (Mexico), Manzanillo (Panama), Cartagena, Caucedo, Tangier, Valencia, Cagliari, Livorno, Genoa, Marseilles-Fos, Barcelona, Valencia, Tangier and back to Cartagena.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
