Global container shipping lines APL and Hanjin Shipping have teamed up to launch a new weekly service in mid-December expanding their intra-Asia reach.
The new Japan-Thailand 2 (JT2) loop will complement Singapore-based APL’s existing Japan-Thailand-Vietnam (JTV) service to provide a broader coverage network between Southeast Asia, North Asia and Japan.
South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping is also set to participate in the JTV service through a space swap program. JTV currently uses three ships with an individual capacity of 2,500 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs).
The JT2 service begins December 21, 2012 and will employ three vessels of 1,700 TEUs each.
It will give a wider coverage of the Kansai and west Japan region, link Taiwan and the Pearl River Delta region to Thailand, and connect to APL’s global network via the transshipment hubs in Kaohsiung and Hong Kong.
The first northbound sailing begins December 21 from Laem Chabang, and the first southbound sailing starts December 24 from Osaka.
JT2’s port rotation is Osaka, Kobe, Hibiki, Hakata, Kaohsiung, Chiwan, Laem Chabang, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, and back to Osaka.
Hanjin Shipping in an official release said the new service will enhance their network in the intra-Asia market “where demand continues to grow along with the economic development.”
Photo courtesy of APL
