Carriers revamp Asia services

News-in-print 1 Apr 2015 by WCN Editorial

The past month has seen some key changes in several of Asia’s main trading areas. A new grouping has come together on the trade to/ from the Middle East, an established alliance has made changes in its transpacific network ahead of the summer season, and a new cooperation has been announced to run a service between Asia and the growing markets on the western seaboard of South America.

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In the Asia/Middle East trade, CKYHE members Coscon and Yang Ming have joined up with Wan Hai Lines and Pacific International Lines (PIL) and launched the MEX2 service. Sailings commenced in early April, with ships calling direct at Busan, Qingdao, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Singapore, Jebel Ali, Penang, Singapore, Kaohsiung and return to Busan. Six vessels with a nominal capacity of 5,500 TEU are deployed, with Yang Ming operating three of the ships, and Coscon, Wan Hai and PIL one each.

As the summer season approaches, the G6 Alliance – APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), Mitsui OSK Lines, NYK Line and OOCL – is carrying out a number of changes and service enhancements to its transpacific network. The moves are primarily designed to offer the market more capacity and extended coverage in readiness for the peak season (July to early November).

The principal changes involve resurrection of the CC2 service and the splitting into two of the combined Asia/US east coast services (NYE and SCE). While the NYE link will focus on the full range of US Atlantic coast ports, South Korea and the Shanghai region of China, SCE will be confined to the South Atlantic, Caribbean and southern China.

The CC2 loop will shuttle between Ningbo, Shanghai and the southern Californian ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Meanwhile, Taipei-based Yang Ming and South Korean carriers Hanjin Shipping Co and HMM are to jointly start a new weekly service between the Far East and ports in Mexico, Colombia Peru and Chile in July. The weekly link will use 10 ships in the 4,500 to 5,500 TEU range, and offer direct calls at Shekou, Kaohsiung, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Manzanillo, Buenaventura, Callao, Valparaiso, San Vicente, Manzanillo, Busan and return to Shekou.

For Hanjin and HMM, the new service will expand their presence in the trade as they already work with established carriers, such as CSAV, CCNI, Hamburg Süd and MSC. For Yang Ming, the new service will be its first in the market.

NYK, APL and MOL have also announced a new service called the AMC (Asia Mexico Colombia Express) Service linking Asia, Mexico, and WCSA. Using eight 6,000 TEU ships, it will begin next month.

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This complete item is approximately 300 words in length, and appeared in the April 2015 issue of WorldCargo News, on page 12. To access this issue download the PDF here.