Ignazio Messina launches West Africa service

Alan Peat ITALIAN SHIPPING line Ignazio Messina will launch a new multi-purpose liner service on the SA-West Africa trade in October. "Growing demand for capacity on the West African route and the African Unity initiative to keep trade within the African continent, has motivated the introduction of this regular liner service," said local managing director Captain Roberto Del Vecchio. The line will deploy three 900 teu (twenty foot equivalent unit) multi-purpose vessels on the service, plying the trade every 10 days. This initial fleet will be the Jolly Topazio, which is scheduled to arrive in Durban on October 2; the Jolly Giada, due October 12; and the Jolly Ambra on October 22. The port rotation is Durban-Cape Town-Luanda-Abidjan-Lagos-Luanda-Durban. "Other main ports in West Africa - namely Douala, Port Harcourt, Lome, Tema, Takoradi, San Pedro, Conakry and Dakar Ð will be connected at the hub of Abidjan," Del Vecchio told FTW. With this new service, he added, Ignazio Messina completes the connection of all the ports around Africa from East Africa to North Africa, SA and West Africa.