Wallenius Wilhelmsen launches direct service to Mid East

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has announced a new, monthly direct service to the Middle East from the US Gulf and East coasts, commencing in mid-May, 2005.

The US ports of load will be Houston, Jacksonville, Charleston, and Baltimore, and the discharge ports will be Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; Damman, Saudi Arabia; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Additional ports of call in the Mediterranean, Red Sea, Black Sea and Persian Gulf will be serviced via transshipment and/or inducement. Transit times for the carrier's new Middle East service will be very competitive'for example, 19 days from Baltimore to Jeddah.

The Roll/On, Roll/Off (ro/ro) vessels to be deployed in the new service are capable of handling automobiles, ro/ro and non-container/breakbulk cargo. The vessels have a deck height of up 6.6 meters and a ramp capacity of up to 120 metric tons. Initially, two vessels will be deployed; however, the service will be expanded to four vessels, increasing the frequency to every 21 days.

"Our new direct service to the Middle East will enable us to better respond to the needs of our customers. It's also another component of the ongoing expansion of our global network," commented Gordon Hammer, Head of Americas Trade for Wallenius Wilhelmsen.