OREANDA-NEWS. NCSP Group (LSE: NCSP, MoEx: NMTP) hereby reports on the opening of a nre container service by ARKAS Line - the Reefer Express service (REX) connecting Turkish ports Mersin and Limas and Israeli ports Haifa and Ashdod to Novorossiysk.

The service will be facilitated by m/v Michigan Trader and m/v Warnow Beluga ships with a capacity of 975 TEU on a weekly rotation Novo - Mersin - Haifa - Ashdod - Limas - Novo.

The first ship of the service is calling at Novorossiysk on 11 November 2014 to be services at Novoroslesexport terminal.

"This service targets perishable cargo (foods) traffic from Israel and Turkey. We hope it will be in good demand which can boost NCSP Group's volumes in general" - said CEO of Novoroslesexport Albert Likholet.

Novoroslesexport is a company of NCSP Group specializing in handling of containers, sawn timber, and other general cargo, including no-ferrous metals, perishable cargo, cargo in big-bags, and Ro-Ro cargo.

NCSP Group is the largest port operator in Russia and the third-largest in Europe, in terms of cargo turnover. NCSP shares are traded on Russia's Moscow Exchange (ticker: NMTP) and on the London Stock Exchange in the form of GDRs (ticker: NCSP). NCSP Group cargo turnover in 2013 totalled 141 million tonnes. Consolidated revenue to IFRS in 2013 totalled USD 928 million and EBITDA was USD 510 million. NCSP Group consolidates the following companies: PJSC Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, LLC Primorsk Trade Port, PJSC Novorossiysk Grain Terminal, OJSC Novorossiysk Ship Repair Yard, OJSC NCSP Fleet, OJSC NLE, OJSC IPP, CJSC Baltic Stevedore Company, and CJSC SFP.