Container shipping line APL is launching next month two new intra-Asia lanes, one of which connects China to Southeast Asia while the other connects Japan to the sub-region.
The China Southeast Asia Service 5 (CS5) is a weekly service which links North and Central China, South Korea, and Taiwan directly to Manila in the Philippines.
Introduced to enhance APL’s network coverage between the Northeast and Southeast Asia trades, the new CS5 service’s coverage of North and Central China complements APL’s Japan Taiwan 6 (JT6) service that serves the South China-Manila trade network, offering a broader China-Philippines market coverage.
“With port calls to both North and South Manila, as well as competitive transit times from Manila to North China, the CS5 service will further enhance shippers’ speed to market and accessibility between China and the Philippines,” APL said in a media release.
Additionally, the CS5 service will enable Asian shippers to access worldwide connectivity via APL’s global network at the transshipment hub of Kaohsiung.
The new service will call the ports of Xingang, Qingdao, Busan (Pusan New-Port International Terminal and Hutchison Busan Container Terminal), Shanghai, Kaohsiung, and North and South Manila. The first sailing will begin from Xingang on April 9, 2017.
APL is also set to kick off the Japan Straits Express (JSX) service, a new weekly service which directly links the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan to the key transshipment hubs of Singapore and Port Klang in Malaysia for global connectivity to the world’s markets.
“We are proud to introduce the new JSX service as APL’s first dedicated Japan shuttle to Singapore and Port Klang. The JSX service will well support Japan’s international trade activities, offering shippers direct access to APL’s extensive global linehaul network at the two transshipment hubs for prime connectivity to the Western markets,” said Chan Khai Tou, APL head of intra-Asia short sea services.
The new JSX service will call the ports of Yokohama, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kobe, Singapore and Port Klang. The first sailing will commence from Yokohama on April 17, 2017.
