Buenos Aires: Troubled Argentine box carrier Maruba - which has ditched its Asia to East Coast of South America service - has revealed its new Round the World service schedule which it hopes can take it back into the profit zone, and reduce its exposure to "difficult service partners".
Using eight vessels (including the controversial Maruba Simmons, which was berthed outside Rio de Janeiro for 10 weeks while revised chartering arrangements were argued about with its German owners) Maruba has launched a fortnightly service, via the Magellan Straits (Cape Horn) linking Buenos Aires to the Patagonian port of Puerto Madryn, and then on to Asia via Chile, Peru and Mexico, returning via Durban.
A reliable source at Maruba said that the company had studied a number of alternatives "in order to come up with a cost-effective product". He said that the port rotation (see below) they had come up with, "was almost certain to be the one that will be implemented". An official announcement will be made "imminently". The inclusion of Da Chan Bay in Shenzhen marks the newly established Maruba policy to include new - hopefully cheaper - ports of call in its variouis service rotas.
"As the peak season approaches we shall be including extra-loaders in the service on a temporary basis and always in accordance with market demand. The last thing we want is to create over-supply during these difficult times," he told SAO.
Maruba is in the final stages of talks with the Argentine government of Cristina Kirchner and the powerful maritime trade union, Somu, regarding the union taking a 35% share in the carrier, with private investors taking another 25%. This, argues the source, will provide the much-needed US$50m that the company needs to pay off its debts and restore confidence so that the carrier can look ahead to a more secure financial future.
The Rodrigues family will retain the other 40% and remain the main voice on the board.
The port rotation for the new Round-the-World service will be: Qingdao (China), Busan (South Korea), Shanghai, Ningbo, Da Chan Bay, Hong Kong (all China), Port Kelang (Malaysia), Durban (South Africa), Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Itajai (all Brazil), Buenos Aires, Montevideo (Uruguay), Rio Grande (Brazil), Puerto Madryn (Argentina Patagonia), San Antonio (Chile), Callao (Peru), Manzanillo (Mexico) and Qingdao (China). [24/03/10]
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