New Uruguay-Paraguay road service reduces dry-season transit time by 75pc

1/11/2014 9:03:22 AM

CARGAS del Atlantico, the Uruguayan member of the Famous Pacific Shipping (FPS) Group freight forwarding and consolidation system, has launched a new transhipment service via Montevideo to neighbouring Paraguay, that drastically cuts transit times for Far East imports from up to four months, to just 40 days.

Meanwhile, transit times for European shippers are cut to as little as 25 days.

During the Paraguayan annual dry season, which lasts from September to March, the normal means of transport into the land-locked country - by barge from Montevideo on the River Parana - becomes extremely unreliable due to decreased draughts. This can result in months of delay at port and mounting demurrage costs.

The company has now pioneered a new transhipment service, for both full container load (FCL) and less than container load (LCL) shipments, using trucks to transfer cargo 1,400 kilometres by road from Montevideo to the Paraguayan commercial centres of Asuncion and Ciudad del Este.

Main import commodities for Paraguay are consumer electronics and petrochemicals. With little manufacturing industry at present, Paraguay's main export commodities are agricultural produce such as soy, corn and meat. To ensure full control of shipments through to destination, the company has opened a new representative office in Paraguay, with on-site handling.

Although the company's traditional main business is FCL shipments, its new service provides a two-way LCL operation between Paraguay and all major world markets. It plans to start an air freight export service, with full documentation and customs processing.