China-based Cosco Container Lines and Korea’s Hanjin Shipping announced on March 21 the launch of a joint service in the Far East-Gulf of Mexico trade effective end of April.
The Gulf of Mexico Express (GME) will have eight vessels, each with a capacity of 4,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
Cosco will deploy six vessels while Hanjin will operate two.
The port rotation is Pusan, Shanghai (Waigaoqiao Terminal), Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Panama Canal, Colon, Houston, Panama Canal, and Pusan.
The new service will cover the Gulf of Mexico and South of USA (Houston area), including the Caribbean region. The service offers attractive transit times from South China to Houston, taking 24 days from Yantian to Houston for the fastest transit time in the market, the carriers said. Transit time from East China to Houston will be 27 days.
Photo: Cosco
