MSC to Add Argentina and Amazonia Express Services

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) will enhance its East Coast South America and Caribbean services this month by introducing a new Argentina Express and an Amazonia Express service in addition to its weekly service from the ports of Charleston, Houston, Jacksonville to South America via Freeport, Bahamas, and new all-water service to Caribbean ports from Miami and New Orleans. “MSC will offer an all water service from Miami and New Orleans for the first time to a select number of ports in South America, meaning improved transit times and more space available for shipments,” said Nicola Arena, president of MSC (USA) Inc. “This enhances our northbound capabilities as well, which is good news for coffee exporters among others.” The new Argentina Express service vessels will call at Newport News, Baltimore, New York, Savannah and Freeport, along with the East Coast of South America ports of Puerto Cabello, Santos, Buenos Aires, Rio Grande and Sao Francisco do Sul. The Amazonia Express service links New Orleans, Miami and Freeport with Rio De Janeiro, Vitoria, Salvador and Pecem in South America. Caribbean service improvements include direct calls in Miami and New Orleans and then Rio Haina (Dominican Republic) and Port of Spain (Trinidad) which means all-water service with no transshipment, a benefit for southbound shippers. The company’s Caribbean services via Freeport remain the same. “This new all-water service means faster transit times, and more flexibility for Caribbean shippers,” Arena continued. “It is also an example of MSC’s commitment to shippers in this region; at a time when other carriers are pulling out or reducing port calls, we are enhancing our services instead.” The company currently operates three different Caribbean services, the first connects New Orleans, Miami, Freeport, Rio Haina and Port of Spain; the second, Miami to Freeport and Nassau; and a third from Freeport to Kingston, Port au Prince and Rio Haina, which means Rio Haina now gets two calls per week instead of just one. MSC also offers shuttle service linking Port of Spain with Bridgetown, Barbados, Georgetown, Guyana, and Paramaribo, Suriname.