Tripoli, 5 February 2013:
Tunisian shipping company CTN is launching . . .[restrict]a cargo service between the port of Rades, on the outskirts of Tunis, and Khoms, 105 kilometres east of the Tripoli.
It is the first link of its kind between Tunisia and Libya. The service will operate fortnightly, departing Rades for the first time on 11 February.
The service is seen as a response to the difficulties faced by Tunisian traders transporting goods to Libya by road. The border crossing at Ras Jedir is frequently closed and, when open, there have been attacks on vehicles on both sides of the border.
CTN plan to extend the service from Khoms to Alexandria in Egypt at an as yet undisclosed future date.
A spokesman for the state-owned company said that the new service is being launched in response to requests from the Arab Federation of Chambers of Shipping. [/restrict]
