Atlantic Shipping buys a ship that had been connecting the USA and Cape Verde

The Atlantic Shipping Company, owned by Cape Verdeans in the United States of America and Cape Verde, bought the Agena ship that had been making the maritime connection between the two countries, for the company, four years ago, but on a leasing basis. The boat has now been christened the Atlantic Express.

According to information advanced by the chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of Atlantic Shipping, Victor De Pina, “the purchase was made on the 15th of December when the Agena was still on the return trip from Cape Verde to the USA, but it was only now announced.

“Once here, we did the whole documentation process, change of registration, etc., and we named the ship Atlantic Express”, he clarifies.

De Pina recalls that the company had been operating the Agena for four years on a leasing basis and explains the motivation behind the purchase.

“When we found out last year that the boat was going to be put up for sale, we decided to buy it. Otherwise, other people could acquire it and we would be without a ship”.

Maritime line completes 28 years of existence

The purchase of the boat, he guarantees, is essential for the survival of the company and that shipping line to Cape Verde, which will complete 28 years on the 17th of February.

The ship, as attested by De Pina, meets the “required” conditions to dock in the ports of the islands of Fogo and Brava due to the length of the pier, water depth, size of the crane, among other aspects.

“Since 1995 when we created Atlantic Shipping, we did so with the aim of operating in four ports. The acquisition of this ship gives us the guarantee that in the next 10 to 15 years we will have the means to continue going to the islands of Fogo and Brava and obviously São Vicente and Praia, as well. Therefore, continue in the same modules that we have been working on for the last 28 years”, he informed.

serve the community

“Our objective, our passion is to serve this community so that it doesn't lose that direct connection. The only company that started like this and is still like this is Atlantic Shipping. I would also like to remind you that we are going to complete 174 round trips to Cape Verde. For some people this may seem insignificant but it is reasonable. Before us, there was another company that operated in this line but made just over 30 trips”, he recalls.

This Cape Verdean businessman thus highlights the “very important” contribution that the company has made to the economy of Cape Verde and, in particular, to the families of this emigrant community in America.

“Atlantic Shipping is just a participant, a collaborator, a piece of machinery that helps Cape Verde (…) And I say this to everyone: it's not just the person who receives a drum that benefits. The one who has a van that takes the beneficiary from the interior of Fogo, to the city of São Filipe; it's that taxi that takes you to Vale dos Cavaleiros; there is the other who has a van that helps to take the barrel home… it is all of society that benefits, even people considered to be rich, and who did not receive anything from the US. Because there are hundreds of saleswomen from Sucupira who go from Praia to Fogo looking to buy goods from America and sell these products in the city of Praia...

30 thousand drums in 2022 alone

The State itself, he says, also benefits.” There are thousands of people who survive without depending on work or help from the State, they are land transport, taxis... business people who buy products from America to resell in their stores, in short it is a enormous impact”, attests the PCA of Atlantic Shipping.

Victor De Pina advances that in 2022 alone, not counting “thousands of boxes, hundreds of cars and containers, Atlantic Shipping transported more than 30,000 drums. “Can you imagine how many people were positively benefited from this? There are thousands. And that gives us the courage to continue with this line for many years”, he guarantees.

Capacity for 167 containers, on a 12-day trip

The ship has the capacity to carry 167 containers, plus cars and other types of cargo, and sails at a speed of 10 knots per hour. Remember that “knot” is a unit of measurement of speed equivalent to one nautical mile per hour, that is 1.852 km/h.

From the US to Cape Verde, the businessman adds that the ship takes an average of 12 days, depending on weather conditions. The ship has two cranes of 30 tons each.

It should be recalled that the Atlantic Shipping Company was founded on February 17, 1995, by a group of Cape Verdeans residing in the United States of America and in Cape Verde, to respond to the need for a “regular and reliable” maritime career between the two countries.