March 19 - Ultrabulk has begun a multipurpose service between Europe and Africa, following the employment of a team of professionals from Copenship MPP, which recently filed for bankruptcy.
The service will be headed up by new Ultrabulk MPP vice president Joergen Larsen, who previously served as executive vice president at Copenship.
Carrying dry bulk, project, general, IMO and ro-ro cargoes, the service will be a tramp parcel operation, based on a regular service with dedicated tonnage and spot tonnage on inducement.
The service will load in northern Europe and the west Mediterranean on its southbound service, before calling at ports in West Africa and eastern South Africa, including islands. The northbound service will load in East and South Africa, before travelling back via West Africa to the Mediterranean and Black Sea, as well as northern Europe and the Baltic.
Larsen expressed his desire to develop and enhance the new service under the Ultrabulk banner, using both Ultrabulk's existing expertise in its steel parcel services, as well as his own experience in the African market.
"I am very pleased that we are able to welcome Joergen and his team under the Ultrabulk banner, they bring with them significant experience in the field of parcelling and liner service, which we today do not have at Ultrabulk," said Ultrabulk ceo Per Lange.
HLPFI reported on February 4 that Copenship had filed for bankruptcy. Since 1996, Copenship had been running a conventional liner service from northern Europe and the Mediterranean to South and East African ports including regular calls at Madagascar and the Comoros islands, in close co-operation with its partner Heestership in Marseilles.
