The Port of Halifax will see 52 more cargo ship calls per year at the South End Container Terminal and Autoport with the addition of a second vessel to Oceanex's weekly service to Newfoundland. The M.V. Cicero calls weekly from Halifax to St. John's, supplementing the ASL Sanderling, currently operating weekly between Halifax, St. John's and Cornerbrook, Newfoundland.
"The Port of Halifax is a strategic asset to Atlantic Canada and this Oceanex service is a prime example of why our Port is ranked number one in transshipment and short-sea service in Canada," says Karen Oldfield, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority. "Oceanex is providing an important link between the Newfoundland market and international services to Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean and throughout the Americas with this additional container and roll-on/roll-off space."
Oceanex carries the majority of international container traffic to and from Newfoundland through transshipment arrangements.
"Oceanex has a well established presence at the Port of Halifax," says Yvon Dufour, Manager, Halifax Terminal, Oceanex Inc. "The addition of the Cicero to the Halifax service will enable us to grow with our customers in Atlantic Canada as well as offer them a more flexible link to Newfoundland."
The Cicero was previously used between Montreal and St. John's and was replaced by a new vessel bought by Oceanex in April 2005. The Cicero carries autos, project cargo and third-party equipment such as transport highway trailers and marine containers.
The Cicero has a capacity to hold 420 containers (teus ) and has been modified to carry additional automotive, trailer and temperature-controlled traffic. Oceanex has been calling the Port of Halifax for over 20 years, having made its first call in July 1982 as Atlantic Searoute Limited at Ocean Terminals.
