1) When will the new vessels begin to operate?
A: The estimate is that in April/2009, Mercosul Line will be operating with tree ships: Mercosul Suape, Mercosul Santos and N. De Liefde.
2) What are the ports of call this new service?
A: The service will cover the major ports: Santos, Paranaguá, Salvador, Suape, Manaus, among others.
3) What is the capacity of new ships? And how many plugs?
A: Each new ship(Mercosul Suape, Mercosul Santos) has nominal capacity of 2500 teus, with 268 plugs.
4) How are the new ships compared to competition?
A: The fleet operating in cabotage trade is, mostly old and uses vessels of different sizes, some smaller, others with the same capacity of the new ships imported by Mercosul Line.
5) Will the new service call River Plate? Are there future plans?
A: Currently, Mercosul Line does not offer service to / from River Plate, but this is a possibility in the medium to long term.
6) Does Mercosul Line intend to build ships in Brazil?
This is a possibility to be considered in the medium term.
7) Is the crew of the vessels operated by Mercosul Line Brazilian?
A: Yes.
8) Are the new vessels imported?
A: Yes, the two new ships are imported.
9) What is the concern of the Mercosur line regarding environment?
A: Cabotage is an alternative to compose the supply chain in various industries and contributes significantly to environmental preservation. The reduction of pollution levels in the world is achieved by shifting the demand for cargo transporting from land to sea.
Mercosul Line is aware of its environmental responsibility to navigate in such a particular region, as the Amazon.
To minimize environmental impacts various measures have been adopted including: reduction of the consumption of oil and lubricant, reduction of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and use of fuels with low sulfur content, implementation of policies for frequent maintenance of engines ; use of lead-free paint, installation of fuel tanks internally protected to reduce the risk of oil leakage, and waste management plan applied to all the fleet.
10) Cabotage gained strength in recent years, with an increase of cargo transported. Has Mercosul Line registered this trend? A: Yes, many customers are beginning to share road shipments and migrate to cabotage, because of its many advantages, such as costs, reduction in environmental impact and more security and integrity for the cargo.
11) Is there a balance in demand for the operated services?
A: Our service is well balanced, as we have a good utilization in both directions, north and south.
12) Is this the right time to invest, taking into account the world crisis?
A: Yes, the company believes in the Brazilian economy growth and cabotage as an alternative to road transport. Besides the environmental appeal, cabotage has been increasingly sought by large companies in Brazil, as it is cost x benefit attractive.
Do you have any further questions, or would like to post any questions about this new service? Please send us a message to brzmrccom@maersk.com
