Maersk has announced the launch of a new dedicated coastal service to New Zealand, which is named "Maersk Coastal Connect".
The Danish carrier believes this move will enable a more resilient New Zealand supply chain and at the same time improve the credibility of the vessel schedule.
In addition, the new service will help improve internal connectivity and provide sustainable and flexible supply chain solutions for importers, exporters, and domestic distributors, according to a statement.
The 2,500 TEU container vessels, Maersk Nadi and Maersk Nansha, will be deployed on the new Maersk Coastal Connect. The port rotation will be Timaru, Lyttelton, Nelson, Auckland and Tauranga. Timaru, Nelson and Tauranga will be covered on a weekly basis, while Auckland and Nelson will have a fortnightly coverage.
"Using two dedicated vessels, we can place empty containers in the right places more efficiently to meet export requirements," commented Henrik Jensen, managing director of Maersk Oceania.
The combined capacity from North to South and South to North will reach 250,000 TEU each year, according to Maersk, which noted the service will start on 12 July and will be operated with New Zealand crew.
"We are enabling more than four days of additional schedule buffer to reduce impact from the supply chain disruptions, including port congestion, tidal windows, swell, lower port productivity and longer port stay. This will ensure smooth connections to our international mainliner network and benefit more than 2,000 cargo owners in the country" added Jensen.
Regarding the environmental footprint of the new product, My Therese Blank, head of market at Maersk Oceania, stated, "Maersk Coastal Connect is estimated to enable 43,000 tonnes of CO2 savings per year compared to landside trucking service, contributing to Maersk’s 2030 targets for significant absolute emissions reductions."
