South American exporters have a new weekly shipping service to Europe through Rio Brasil Terminal with the inauguration of the ICTSI's Brazil subsidiary's ESE2.

COSCO Shipping Lines vessel Xin Nan Tong called at the RBT on 15 September to kick off the Europe — East Coast of South America service.

ESE2 connects the Brazilian states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais to Europe. It targets refrigerated cargoes out of South America, and the consuming markets of Europe such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The service's port rotation, with an expected total duration of 9 weeks, is as follows:

Rotterdam (Netherlands) — London Gateway (UK) — Hamburg (Germany) — Antwerp (Belgium) — Lisbon (Portugal) — Algeciras (Spain) — Santos (Brazil) — Paranagua (Brazil) — Montevideo (Uruguay) —Buenos Aires (Argentina) — Itapoa (Brazil) — Paranagua —Santos — Rio De Janeiro (Brazil) — Algeciras — Rotterdam. The initial fleet will have 4,000 to 5,000 TEU ships.

Also during the unveiling of the service, RBT and COSCO signed a preliminary contract for the operation of CLIA Pouso Alegre — a logistics corridor in Minas Gerais covering empty container yards and bonded warehouses.

RBT operates Container Terminal 1 at the Port of Rio de Janeiro and serves the import, export, and industrial oil and gas hubs in the largest economic region of Brazil.

It offers robust maritime, road, and rail access, and handles the largest vessels that call the Brazilian coast.

ICTSI or International Container Terminal Services Inc. is the world's largest, independent terminal operator with presence in six continents.