Japanese carrier NYK said it is upgrading its weekly Asia-Latin America Express (ALEX) service linking Asia to Mexico and the west coast of South America.
The new ALEX service consolidates the ALEX-1 and ALEX-2 loops into one single loop, with a 77-day round voyage using 11 vessels of capacities 5,600 to 6,500 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).
Port rotation of the ALEX service is Keelung, Hong Kong, Da Chan Bay, Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Pusan, Manzanillo, Callao, Iquique, Valparaiso, Lirquen, Callao, Manzanillo, Tokyo, and Keelung.
The first sailing is from Keelung on April 26, the box line said in an April 11 release.
The ports of Honolulu, Buenaventura, and Guayaquil, which used to be a part of ALEX-2, will now be served through new services.
Buenaventura and Guayaquil will be a part of the new MSX (Mexico-South America Express) service with transshipment in Manzanillo and Callao.
The MSX weekly shuttle service will have a 21-day round trip deploying three ships, each with a capacity of 2,100 TEUs. Port rotation is Manzanillo, Buenaventura, Callao, Guayaquil, and Manzanillo, and first sailing departs from Manzanillo on May 26.
Honolulu will be served by a new AHX (Asia-Hawaii Express) service that will directly link it to Asia from early May 2012.
The AHX service will make calls every 10 days in Shanghai, Pusan, Yokohama, Honolulu, Yokohama, and back to Shanghai. The 31-day round trip will have three 700 TEU-capacity vessels. The first sailing will depart from Shanghai on May 5.
All other ports in Asia, such as those in Hong Kong, south China, north China, and Southeast Asia, will connect to this service in Shanghai or Pusan using NYK’s own feeder network for quick transit and secure transshipment, the company said.
The direct call to Honolulu through the ALEX-2 service will cease toward the end of April as NYK opens the AHX service.
Additionally, shipments linking Asia with the west coast of Central America will continue to be offered through the MAREX-Neo service via transshipment in Manzanillo.
Photo: Young in Panama
