HAMBURG-based heavylift and project cargo carrier Rickmers Linie has entered the Latin American trades with the launch of a new liner service to the north coast of South America and the Caribbean.

The NCS service is part of the carrier’s mainline Asia-America westbound string that it operates in conjunction with Japan’s Eastern Car Liner, which owns the four multipurpose/ro-ro vessels that are deployed.

Initial calls have already been made at the Colombian ports of Santa Marta and Puerto Bolivar, and the carrier confirmed that other ports that come under the line’s list of possible ports are Barranoquilla and Cartagena in Colombia, the Ecuadorian port of Guayaquil, Venezuela’s Guanta and Port-au-Prince in Haiti.

The line’s spokesman said the schedule of the existing Asia-America westbound service would remain unaffected. The service runs between the US east coast and Japan, and South Korea and China on inducement.

Lloyd’s List