June 15, 1976 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News

California Group Forms Europe To Arabia Ro/Ro Barge Service

Global Transport Organization (GTO), a San Francisco, Calif.- based transportation group, has announced the formation of a firm to operate ro/ro barge service between Europe and Saudi Arabia. The new firm has been named Euro-Arab Sea Trailer (EAST).

Leo Collar, GTO's managing director, said that EAST would operate the world's largest trailer barge in the new service. The 430-foot, triple-deck barge will be able to carry 266 trailers or containers.

It will be towed by a 10,000-hp deepsea tug. EAST will use its own trailer and container equipment, which will be positioned in pools throughout Europe, as well as the equipment of shippers.

The service will serve all parts of Europe with the barge being loaded at Fos-Marseilles, France.

The barge will be towed through the Suez Canal to the port of Yenbo on the west coast of Arabia. From Yenbo, containers and trailers will be distributed throughout Saydi Arabia and the Middle East by a private trucking firm. Transit time is estimated at 17 days between most points in west Europe and the United Kingdom to most destinations in Saudi Arabia.

GTO is an international shipping enterprise composed of three marine carriers. They include Crowley Maritime Corporation; Federal Pacific Ltd., a member of the Federal Commerce group of Canada, and Seaspan Overseas Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genstar Ltd., a Canadian industrial complex.

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