UAL and BOCS launch new breakbulk shipping line
UAL BOCS Shipping Line (UBSL) is expanding its breakbulk services to the Caribbean and the East Coast of South America. UBSL Caribbean Lines, a joint venture between BOCS Bremen and Universal Africa Lines will be able to draw on 21 modern geared multipurpose (MPP) vessels.
The two companies said that the UBSL Caribbean Lines head office will be based in Capelle /d Ijssel in the Netherlands and will use the existing fleet of its joint venture partners, BOCS and UAL. MPP vessels range from 4.354 dwt to 33.000 dwt, and are equipped with cranes of up to 360 mt lifting capacity.
The breakbulk service will start with monthly sailings, and regular loading port of calls will consist of Aberdeen and Antwerp with other ports along the route on inducement.
Discharge ports will be La Brea and Point Lisas in Trinidad, Georgetown Guyana, Paramaribo Suriname, and this service can be further extended to Brazil based on inducement.
“Having the chance to expand trading routes and respectively our network certainly is a great opportunity. Openness, flexibility and customer proximity have always built the core of our business activities. Our clientele will not only benefit from an extended service, but also from our well-established collaboration with UAL. We are enthusiastic about this new challenge and look forward to continuing our joint success story.” says Björn Hollnagel, Managing Director of BOCS.
“Universal Africa Lines has been running a liner service from the USA to the Caribs and South America already, and has seen a growing demand from its clients for a similar service originating in NW Europe. So it was only logical after our joint venture in the Mediterranean that we would start this new adventure together with our good partner BOCS. We will continue to build on our success” says Harald Maas, Director of Universal Africa Lines.
