[130811.EN.SEA] X-Press Container Line Enters Latin America With Two Feeder Services

BRITAIN's X-Press Container Line (XCL), part of the X-Press Feeders Group, which also manages Singapore-based Sea Consortium, is entering the Latin America sector for the first time, with two new feeder services, reports the Paris-based Maritime consultant, Alphaliner.

XCL has launched the Panama-Central America X-Press service (PCX - 62870), using the 509-TEU Caribe Legend, and is to launch a second service, the Panama-Venezuela X-Press, within the frame of an undisclosed arrangement with Evergreen Line (PVX-CAS - 62607).

The PCX connects on a weekly basis the Panamanian hub of Manzanillo to Puerto Cortes and Santo Tomas de Castilla. The CAS-PVX will connect Manzanillo and Colon-Coco Solo to Curacao, La Guaira and Puerto Cabello.

"It will be run in two weeks and will offer a weekly frequency. It is actually based on the current Evergreen's CAS service, until now ensured with a single 1,740-TEU ship with a 10-11 day frequency. A call at the Manzanillo MIT terminal is added to the original CAS.

"The service will however continue to call at the neighbouring Coco Solo facility, which is used by Evergreen. XCL will bring the recently chartered 1,684-TEU Henriette Schulte to the CAS-PVX while Evergreen will replace the 1,740-TEU Hansa Ronnenburg by the 2,127-TEU Conti Daphne (swap with CAN - 6260). Hapag-Lloyd is among the users of these two XCL feeder services," said Alphaliner.

Source : HKSG.