Port Houston maiden voyage plaque presentation with Port Houston staff, UAL representatives, M/V MarMalaita vessel Captain Slepchenko and stevedore Schroder Marine.

Universal Africa Lines (UAL), a conventional ocean transportation carrier that specializes in handling project cargo, breakbulk and containers, has announced that it will now call Port Houston’s City Docks as part of its U.S. Gulf/Mexico to West Africa liner service. The change was effective with the first regular vessel call of the M/V MarMalaita July 10.

UAL offers two to three sailings per month direct from Houston to West Africa. The company specializes in servicing the oil and gas industry and tailoring logistics solutions for clients shipping to difficult areas. UAL also has a fleet of more than 4,000 containers including reefers, high cubes, open tops and flat racks, with the ability to provide a multitude of shipping options, including door-to-door service.

UAL chose Port Houston due to the available dedicated laydown area for project cargoes and berth availability, both of which provided added flexibility to UAL’s multipurpose fleet. This is particularly important considering the host of UAL’s cargoes that range from helicopters to subsea trees.

“Port Houston is excited about our new partnership with UAL and that they are entrusting us with their services here at the port’s city docks,” said Dominic Sun, director of trade development for Port Houston.