PACIFIC International Lines (PIL), a Singapore-based container carrier, will start a weekly direct service from Manila to Long Beach, California, this month.
The China-Transpacific (CTP) Service will begin its maiden voyage on June 20, with the arrival of MV Kota Wangi voyage 982 in Manila.
The shipping line will also have a weekly direct service from New Zealand and Australia to the Philippines.
The CTP service boasts 10 vessels with an average of 1,700 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) nominal capacity. Its unique vessel size makes cargo availability significantly quicker than primary competitors.
The service rotation will be Manila, Keelung, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach, Melbourne, Sydney, Tauranga, and Brisbane. The unprecedented new service will address the concerns of exporters with regard to the delays brought by misconnections of feeder and mother vessels.
The Philippine operations of CTP will be managed by TMS Ship Agencies Inc., the exclusive agent of PIL in the Philippines. TMS will celebrate its 25th year in the shipping industry by January 2014.
PIL was incorporated in 1967. It is ranked 15th among the top containership operators in the world, offering container liner services and multi-purpose services at over 500 locations in 95 countries. As of June 5, PIL either owns or operates a fleet of 169 vessels with a total TEUs capacity of about 361,809, shipping analyst Alphaliner said.
PIL operates container liner services covering the whole of the Far East to Europe, Black Sea, Canada, Indian sub-continent, Red Sea/Gulf, East Africa, South/West Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific Islands, East and West Coast of South America and West Coast of the United States.
