New ship added to Merchant's Queensland service
Merchant Shipping will boost its north Queensland service next month with the introduction of a new fully-geared vessel.
Multi-purpose ship Antares 1 (Photo: Merchant Shipping)
The 127-metre Antares1 is a multipurpose ship equipped with two 40-tonne cranes, a speed of up to 15.5 knots and the capacity to handle containers, breakbulk and some bulk cargo.
"With increased speed and the use of ship’s gear we can now offer additional port calls in Gladstone, Port Alma and Mackay, along with improved schedule reliability," Merchant Shipping spokeswoman Karen Chernikeef said.
Merchant Shipping currently offers a direct monthly service to Townsville, Shanghai, Qingdao and Taiwan.
Antares1 will call Townsville once a month and the other north Queensland ports about once every two months depending on demand.
Her first port of call in Australia will be Mackay followed by Townsville.
