Evergreen Line and Hanjin Shipping have joined forces and created a new service that aims to strengthen the network between the rapidly growing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the rest of Asia.
The partner carriers announced the launch later this month of the New Ho Chi Minh Service (NHS) linking the ASEAN member-economies of Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia with Korea and China.
The NHS will employ four ships—one supplied by Evergreen and the rest by Hanjin—each with a capacity of 2,500 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent units).
The weekly service will have this port rotation: Kwangyang, South Korea; Busan, South Korea; Shanghai, China; Shekou, China; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Singapore; Port Klang, Malaysia; Penang, Malaysia; Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia; Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City; and back to Kwangyang.
The first sailing will be from Kwangyang on November 22.
The ASEAN region has one of the highest forecast growth rates of any region of the world. In 2013, the economic bloc looks set to grow by 5 percent, and next year, its growth is estimated to be 5.4 percent, according to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report.
In addition, a successful outcome to the ongoing negotiations establishing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership between ASEAN, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand can lead to a significant increase in cargo demand in the intra-Asia trades.
“For this reason Evergreen is seeking to provide an even more comprehensive network service than it already offers,” the Taiwan-based box carrier said.
Photo: macchi
