SWIRE Shipping and Rickmers-Linie recently announced the launch of a strategic partnership — connecting carrier partnership. Under this partnership, Swire Shipping will be able to connect its breakbulk and project cargoes in India and the Middle East, through Rickmers-Linie's Middle East and India Service, to its network in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, via Singapore. The first voyage departed Mumbai on June 9 while the first voyage from Jebel Ali began on June 28. The load ports are Jebel Ali, Mumbai, Chennai, Dammam, Kolkata (other ports on inducement). The destination ports, via Singapore, are Papua New Guinea, Solomons, New Caledonia, Fiji, Australian East Coast, Darwin, East Timor and New Zealand. “This collaboration with Rickmers-Linie allows Swire Shipping to provide our customers with another shipping solution for their multipurpose cargo needs. It enhances our network coverage by providing a regular breakbulk service out of India and the Middle East into the South Pacific region,” said William Arblaster, Commercial Manager, Swire Shipping. Gerhard Janssen, director global sales and marketing for Rickmers-Linie added, “Since our vessels from Europe to the Middle East and India continue to Singapore, this cooperation offers an increased range of destinations and loading ports on offer for customers of both Swire Shipping and Rickmers-Linie. We are looking forward to a fruitful cooperation.” Swire Shipping is the liner shipping division of The China Navigation Company (CNCo), the deep-sea shipping arm of the multinational Swire Group. CNCo is the wholly owned, deep-sea ship owning and operating arm of the multinational Swire Group. CNCo was founded in 1872 in Shanghai and started its operations trading on China's Yangtze River. Since then the company has expanded globally while its primary operational focus remains in the Asia-Pacific region. The company operates a global network of multipurpose liner services for the transportation of containerized, breakbulk, heavylift and project cargoes in addition to providing dry bulk and bulk logistics services on a worldwide basis, through its three core operating divisions — Swire Shipping, Swire Bulk and Swire Bulk Logistics. Swire Shipping is the liner shipping division of CNCo and operates multiple liner trades in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, North America and the nations of the South Pacific, in addition to providing services to India, the Middle-East and Europe. Swire Shipping's network of services operates a versatile fleet of multipurpose ships capable of carrying a wide range of cargoes including containerized, refrigerated, project, breakbulk and heavylift cargoes. With more than 180 years to its name, Rickmers-Linie is one of the world's leading specialists in the global transportation of breakbulk, heavy lift and project cargo by sea. The "Round-the-World Pearl String Service" connects the core business areas of the world and is complemented by the liner service between Europe and the Middle East/India as well as the Westbound Round-the-World Service. The company belongs to Rickmers Group, which offers diversified activities in the segments of Maritime Assets, Maritime Services and Rickmers-Linie. Rickmers Group currently manages a fleet of more than 110 vessels. — SG
