Northern Australia specialist Sea Swift will shortly be launching its new liner service “Dampier Direct”. Connecting Singapore and Dampier, the first service is due in December and will average two sailings a month.
Transit time will be nine days and the service will have a frequency of 20 days. Sea Swift envisages that shipment times will be up to two days shorter than the Fremantle-Singapore route.
Cargo to be carried will include containers, break bulk and less-than-container-loads.
Sea Swift will deploy the Karratha Bay on the route. Just shy of 100 metres in length overall, the 25 metre breadth vessel has a gross tonnage of 4,562 tonnes. The Kuching (Malaysia) built vessel was constructed in 2007 and it is classed by Bureau Veritas. It has a service speed of ten knots, with ro-ro capability, 387 TEU capacity and a clear deck area of 1,865 metres square.
Sea Swift Acting Chief Executive Officer Lino Bruno said that the service positions Sea Swift as one of the key remote logistics providers for the continued development of Northern Australia.
“Servicing the area directly with a liner service will not only reduce the cost of doing business in the region, but importantly, will significantly reduce the carbon impact on the existing supply chain. This service will produce savings for the environment through reduced carbon emissions, saving on freight distance and packaging through the use of containers. The service will be based on a roll-on, roll-off freight operation model, which will be unique to the Pilbara region. The ro-ro service is preferred because it can operate both containers and break-bulk cargo efficiently and achieve fast port turnaround times, for example in just 24 hours, which is essential for a direct international service like this,” Mr Bruno said.
Ship Agent GAC (a Shipping Australia full member) has been appointed to provide liner agency services. The services include ship agency, husbandry and cargo services, with GAC as the main contact point for customers in Singapore, Dampier/Karratha, and Fremantle. Other services include container sourcing, management and control, port operations, documentation, financial governance, customer care as well as equipment handling.
Henrik Althén, Managing Director of GAC Singapore, commented: “Western Australia is home to major resources and petroleum projects, so we anticipate that demand for this direct link between two key cities will rise steadily to facilitate the transfer of general and breakbulk cargo. It is likely to be further bolstered by the growing imports and exports generated by developing economies in Asia, post-COVID-19, with Singapore acting as a transhipment port”.
Further reading:
