Among the shipping companies that operate within South Africa are the following:
- Maersk Line
- Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)
- Safmarine
- Evergreen Shipping
- Mitsui-OSK Line (MOL)
- Maritime Carrier Services (MACS)
- K Line
- Deutsche Afrika Linien
- Pacific International Line
- BP Tankers
- Grindrod
- African Marine Solutions (AMSOL)
- Nile-Dutch Shipping
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Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, Maersk Line is the world’s largest containership operator and trade to most countries, either by direct services or by moving containers to hub ports for onward shipment by feeder vessel or by road or railway.
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MSC Eleni is one of many containerships operated by the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) that has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The company trades all over the world, either by direct services or trans-shipment at key ports. MSC is the world’s second largest containership operator.
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Safmarine Chaichai operates under the Safmarine brand. Although Safmarine was South Africa’s leading shipping line, but was bought by the Danish-owned AP Moller Group/Maersk Line in 1999. Safmarine’s beautiful white-hulled ships now operate worldwide in conjunction with Maersk Line services. Photograph : Ian Shiffman
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Ever Growth is operated by the Evergreen Shipping, a Taiwanese containership company that also trades all over the world.
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MOL Wisdom, a containership operated by the Japanese company MOL. The company’s ships link South Africa with Asia, South America and Europe.
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Green Mountain is a multi-purpose vessel owned by MACS, a German-owned company that has its joint headquarters in Cape Town. They operate multi-purpose services (i.e. containers, break-bulk, bulk, neo-bulk and heavylift cargoes) between South Africa and Europe, and between South Africa and the US Gulf. Photograph : Robert Pabst
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The oldest shipping line still serving South African ports is Deutsche Afrika Linien, whose first ship to arrive in South Africa, Kaiser, berthed in Durban in 1897. Apart from World War 1 (1914-1918) and World War 2 (1939-1945), the German company has provided a consistent service between South Africa and Europe.
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Singapore-based Pacific International Line operates containership services between South Africa and Asia, South Africa and West Africa, and South Africa and South America. The containership Kota Naga is among their ships on the South American trade.
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Although not a liner service, the shipment of oil products involves several regular callers along the South African coast, including BP Tankers’ product tankers.