The MSC Stella left Mundra, India, on September 7 as part of the Mediterranean Shipping Company’s new Indus 2 Service route.
The 300-metre-long cargo ship will make stops in Italy and Portugal before crossing the Atlantic to arrive in Halifax. From there, it will continue its route, with several stops at U.S. ports before it returns to Mundra.
Captain Allan Gray, the president and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority, says the new call is important for Halifax.
“We previously did not have a direct connection with India. This is something the Halifax Port Authority, PSA Halifax, and CN have been working toward for some time,” Gray said.
“Expanding our global reach will contribute to the sustainable, long-term growth of cargo through the Port of Halifax,” Gray added.
According to Port of Halifax spokesperson Lane Farguson, cargo traffic at the port has picked up significantly since it took a major hit at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier this month, Farguson told Huddle the cargo business has been doing “very, very well” since the second half of 2020.
“That’s a result of changes in supply chains and demand that have been brought about by Covid,” he said.
He said consumers are looking for more goods that are generally manufactured in Asia then shipped to North America.
The port’s own numbers show that, so far, cargo traffic is up more than 35 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.
When the Stella arrives in Halifax, it will berth at the South End Container Terminal operated by PSA Halifax.
Late last year, the Port finished upgrades at the terminal that had been ongoing for years. Thanks to that work, the terminal now has the longest and deepest berth of any Canadian port in Eastern Canada.
Source : Huddle
