German carrier Hamburg MACS Maritime Carrier Shipping GmbH & Co. announced the expansion of its multi-purpose liner service to include calls at the Port of Luanda. The company’s vessels will now make direct calls to the Angolan capital every two weeks immediately after loading in European ports, providing some of the fastest transit times on the market. Transit times from Hamburg are 23-24 days, from Antwerp 18-19 days, and from Leixões 13-14 days.
Export cargo from Luanda to Europe will be transshipped through the Port of Walvis Bay to connect with MACS’s northern services. At the same time, short and reliable cabotage routes from Luanda to ports in Namibia, South Africa, and Mozambique are being opened. MACS vessels are handled in Luanda at the Sogester terminal. The company offers a wide fleet of its own containers of various types, including standard, open, platform, and refrigerated containers, and also handles general cargo, including automobiles, project shipments, and metal products.
The service operates vessels with a deadweight of up to 240 tons and a hold opening width of 36 meters, enabling efficient handling of oversized cargo. MACS is represented in Luanda by Supermaritime. The inaugural voyage on the updated route will be made by the MV Blue Master II: loading is scheduled in Hamburg on March 26, Antwerp on April 2, and Leixões on April 7, with arrival in Luanda on April 20.