New carrier Djibouti Shipping Lines (DSL) is planning to launch a container shuttle service in April connecting Djibouti to Berbera (Somaliland), according to reports.
The new service will act as a feeder for cargoes destined to or originating from Berbera, which are transhipped to and from international long-haul services calling at Djibouti.
It will be operated with one chartered vessel of 1,000 TEU, whose name has not yet been announced, Alphaliner said in its weekly report.
The report said that DSL wants to build on the importance of Djibouti as a strategic hub port in the Gulf of Aden, and plans to expand its network to other ports in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa areas, among which Port Sudan and Mogadishu.
Should these services be launched, the new carrier will require additional container tonnage to maintain them, it added.
The weekly report also noted, “A new container and mpp terminal (DMP) is scheduled to come on stream in Djibouti soon. It will add to DP World’s Doraleh Container Terminal where most container services are handled, and to the ‘old’ container, mpp and general cargo piers in the city port.”