19 March 2009
The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA) has announced plans to expand its service to the United States.
The new liner service, consisting of both traditional break bulk and containerised cargo, will operate between the Port of Charleston, in South Carolina, and several ports in the Middle East and India.
NSCSA will make its inaugural call on the Port of Charleston the week of March 30. Thereafter, the carrier's ships will call on the port every 21 days.
A global economic crisis has left as much as 10 per cent of the world's cargo-shipping fleet idling, but Ray Jozwiak, a market analyst for the Saudi company, said the decision to expand made sense within the framework of NSCSA's strategic plan.
With other shipping lines in retrenchment mode, NSCSA has continued to act on a growth strategy initially unveiled in 2006.
The plan calls for aggressive growth in the company's main business sectors: transportation of crude oil, petrochemicals and cargo.
Jozwiak said the presence of large break bulk shippers in South Carolina and nearby states made Charleston a logical port of call.
"On the inbound side, Charleston is a strong gateway for Indian goods, particularly textile imports," he said. "So this will initially be driven by break bulk outbound and containers inbound and we will work quickly to add more freight."
The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (NSCSA) has announced plans to expand its service to the United States.
The new liner service, consisting of both traditional break bulk and containerised cargo, will operate between the Port of Charleston, in South Carolina, and several ports in the Middle East and India.
NSCSA will make its inaugural call on the Port of Charleston the week of March 30. Thereafter, the carrier's ships will call on the port every 21 days.
A global economic crisis has left as much as 10 per cent of the world's cargo-shipping fleet idling, but Ray Jozwiak, a market analyst for the Saudi company, said the decision to expand made sense within the framework of NSCSA's strategic plan.
With other shipping lines in retrenchment mode, NSCSA has continued to act on a growth strategy initially unveiled in 2006.
The plan calls for aggressive growth in the company's main business sectors: transportation of crude oil, petrochemicals and cargo.
Jozwiak said the presence of large break bulk shippers in South Carolina and nearby states made Charleston a logical port of call.
"On the inbound side, Charleston is a strong gateway for Indian goods, particularly textile imports," he said. "So this will initially be driven by break bulk outbound and containers inbound and we will work quickly to add more freight."
By Dan Mc cue
© Emirates Business 24/7 2009
