THE NEW year marked the start of the 50th year in the relationship between Christensen Canadian African Lines (CCAL) and SA, according to g.m. Mike Renard.
And, he added, hopes are that 1998 will be another good year in this now long-standing sea-link between the two countries. CCAL currently has three vessels on the route - the owned ships Thor 1 and Thorscape and the chartered vessel, Thorsriver - operating a three-weekly frequency between Durban, Cape Town, Montreal and Toronto.
With the Thorsriver - now on her second voyage with CCAL - being one of the more unusual LO-RO (load on, roll off) vessels, the line is capable of handling all the cargo types in the marketplace - bulk, breakbulk, containers, reefer and LO-RO.
“It’s therefore a very flexible, neat little operation,” said Renard, “meeting all the demands made on us.” While Canada remains the main source and destination for CCAL cargoes, Renard points to the USA as being another area it services for SA shippers and importers. “The big advantage here is that we don’t require Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) permits for our US cargoes moving through Montreal,” he said. “And another of our sales points is that Montreal is closer in distance to the east-central areas of the US - like Chicago - than using the east-coast US ports, and is, therefore, quicker and cheaper.” It’s a very mixed cargo on this run, Renard added. “Southbound,” he said, “we are moving lots of containerised cargo, and also a fair amount of machinery, timber and paper. On the northbound leg we have everything from minerals and granite to fruit products (fresh, canned and fruit juices) out of Cape Town.” The 50th anniversary celebrations are due for the end of the first quarter of this year, and Renard is currently working out his celebratory budget for this event.
