APM Terminals’ facilities in Itajai (Brazil) and T4 in Buenos Aires (Argentina) were chosen as ports of call at South America East Coast for the joint Asian service of Hapag-Lloyd, NYK, ZIM, Hyundai and Hamburg Sud, informs APMT.
The 13 vessels deployed at the weekly service will call the Asian ports of Kelang, Singapore, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Shekou and Busan. The service will be launched on August 25, when the first vessel arrives at Terminal 4 in Buenos Aires.
In Brazil, the first vessel is scheduled to arrive at APM Terminals Itajaí on September 9. Until May 2018 the service will be operating on a bi-weekly basis, due to turning basin restrictions for 6 of the 13 deployed vessels, which exceed 300m in length. Upon completion of the expanded turning basin in the Itajai/Navegantes river complex next year, weekly service will be introduced.
Last week 17 container terminals operated by APMT were affected by a cyber-attack, including 2 in Rotterdam and 15 in other parts of the world. As per the recent update, now “all APM Terminals locations are operational and continue to increase their productivity”. However, the company’s website suggests: “For the latest status on your terminal, please visit our individual terminal pages or contact the terminal customer service center directly”. Neither the page of APMT Buenos Aires nor that of APMT Itajai provide any more information regarding the cyber-attack or any disruption in services.
According to APMT, Argentina’s container throughput in 2016 was 1.59 mln TEU, of which Buenos Aires handled 1.4 mln TEU becoming the fourth-busiest container port in South America. Itajaí is Brasil’s second-largest container port complex with a throughput of 1.1 mln TEU in 2016. Frozen poultry is a major export through the port, where APM Terminals Itajaí handled 200,000 TEU last year.
Commenting on the new service, Silvia Iglesias, APMT Argentina Managing Director, highlighted the ondock rail service and terminal connectivity as additional supply chain solutions that APMT Buenos Aires offers for importers and exporters.
For APMT Itajai it is already the second Asia/East Coast South America service calling at the facility. “The terminal already handles the ASAS service operated by Maersk Line, MSC and MOL,” said Ricardo Arten, APMT Brazil Managing Director and added “Equally important, the new string boosts our port’s economic impact to the city of Itajaí and region.”