TROPICAL Shipping has launched a new reefer service to the Caribbean from the Canadian port of Halifax in Nova Scotia after its containership, Tropic Hope, made her inaugural call at the Halterm container terminal. She is the first of two new vessels to call at Halifax, with sister ship, Tropic Island, due to join the service later this year.

The pair of ships are among six new vessels that the company is putting into service. Four of the new box ships, including the Tropic Hope and Tropic Island, are carib class vessels, which are 160 metres in length with 1,100 TEU capacity including 270 reefer plugs, serving ports in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Palm Beach, Florida, Puerto Rico, the eastern Caribbean and the Virgin Islands.



The other two new vessels are smaller mini express class and will carry up to 300 TEU. They can deliver cargo in ports as shallow as 12 feet and will serve Providenciales, Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Dominican Republic, reported American Journal of Transportation.



'Tropical Shipping has been and continues to be the leader in ocean transportation to the Caribbean. Tropical develops and maintains outstanding relationships with our customers and provides them unmatched on time reliability and fast, purpose built, versatile ships,' said vice president commercial & trades Tim Martin.



Halterm maintains a basic workforce of 140 longshoremen and has strengthened its operational capabilities and its handling capacity to meet its commitments to Tropical Shipping around the carrier's delivery of the larger capacity vessels.


WORLD SHIPPING