World Direct Shipping to Double Port Manatee Service
Six months after extending its agreement with Port Manatee, Fla., through 2019, ocean carrier World Direct Shipping is adding a second weekly sailing between Veracruz, Mexico, and the Palmetto port.
World Direct Shipping will add service from the Port of Tuxpan starting on Jan. 12, 2018, to augment the weekly service it has operated from Coatzacoalcos since November 2014.
Tuxpan is the closest commercial port to Mexico City, situated 180 miles northeast of the Mexican capital, and is proximate to paper processing centers, which should provide opportunities for more paper exports from Port Manatee in addition to greater imports of Mexican fruits, vegetables and juices.
“We couldn’t be happier with how the initial service has thrived, with our 2 1/2 -day transit time offering the fastest short-sea connection between Mexico and the U.S. Southeast, Northeast and Midwest for refrigerated produce and other cargos,” said Carlos Diaz, director of Palmetto-based World Direct Shipping, said in a news release.
“The addition of the Tuxpan service with the introduction of a second vessel perfectly complements the Coatzacoalcos sailings, providing shippers of produce and other customers with enhanced flexibility. World Direct Shipping has proven its speed and reliability – never missing a weekly sailing in its nearly three years of operation – and we are now extending this dependability to an additional Veracruz port.”
World Direct Shipping will utilize the 430-foot M/V Queen B vessel on the Tuxpan route and the 413-foot M/V Pafilia on the Coatzacoalcos route. The schedule calls for Friday departures from Tuxpan, with arrivals at Port Manatee on Mondays, while the sailings from Coatzacoalcos are to continue on Saturdays, with Tuesday arrivals at Port Manatee.
World Direct Shipping also announced that it has lengthened its pact with Federal Marine Terminals, which will work both vessels at Port Manatee.
“It is truly a breath of fresh air in today’s ocean carrier industry environment to see the success of World Direct Shipping,” said Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee’s executive director. “And we look forward to continuing to serve this dynamic company on this expanded basis for many years to come.”
Said Vanessa Baugh, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority: “The additional World Direct Shipping service not only will bring increased cargo volumes through Port Manatee – which already is enjoying record volumes of containerized cargo – but also should add to the impressive number of jobs and economic impacts generated by Port Manatee.”
