Sea Swift to commence direct Australia-Singapore link

The Australian shipping company, Sea Swift has announced the launch of its new international shipping service in December, connecting the Pilbara in Western Australia with Singapore.

The new service will be based on a regularly scheduled 20-day roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) freight operation model, which will be unique to the Pilbara region.

The Malaysian-flagged cargo ship, Karratha Bay will ply Sea Swift’s new route, making an average of two sailings per month between Singapore and Dampier. Shipment times are expected to be up to two days shorter than the Fremantle-Singapore route, said GAC in its announcement.

The ro-ro service has been selected because it can work with both containers and breakbulk cargo and achieve fast port turnaround times, according to Sea Swift’s CEO, Lino Bruno, who said, “The ro-ro model for scheduled freight services has never been operated before in the Pilbara, and is not only efficient but also safe, avoiding the need to lift cargo across a wharf, which is a key safety requirement for some companies.”

The new service will be a permanent fixture in Sea Swift’s Northern Australia shipping network, and will also connect the company’s routes with global freight networks.

“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 by shortening the supply chain and reducing multiple handling steps,” added Bruno.

Australia’s largest privately-owned shipping company has appointed Gulf Agency Company (GAC) as the main carrier agent for its new Dampier-Singapore liner shipping service, which is expected to kick off in December 2020.

Under the agreement, GAC will provide complete liner agency services to Sea Swift ro-ro vessels deployed on the service.

The services include ship agency, husbandry and cargo services, with GAC as the contact point for customers in Singapore, Dampier/Karratha, and Fremantle. Other services included are container sourcing, management and control, port operations, documentation, financial governance, customer care as well as equipment handling.

“We’re in this for the long-haul, with cost-effective containerisation direct from anywhere in the world utilising our freight agent GAC through Singapore to the Pilbara on a regular basis in this manner for the first time ever,” said Bruno.

Bruno added, “This service will also produce savings for the environment through reduced carbon emissions, saving on freight distance, and packaging through the use of containers.”

Source: Container News