Hyundai announces return of PSW service

Hyundai announces return of PSW service    Hyundai Merchant Marine, part of the New World Alliance with MOL and APL, said Monday the weekly Pacific Southwest Service (PSW) will resume later this week.
   “The return of this U.S. West Coast service is in line with the expected growth of 2010 trade volume for Northeast Asia,” the carrier said.
   The first vessel/voyage in the eastbound sailing for the PSW service, the Hyundai Commodore, departs Kaohsiung on May 20 and is expected to arrive at Long Beach on June 6.
   The PSW rotation is Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Busan, Long Beach, Oakland, Busan and Hong Kong.
   The service will have use five ships averaging 4,060 TEUs. American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data estimated average capacity at 4,576 TEUs.
   '2009 was a definite challenge to the shipping industry. Nevertheless, we are looking forward into 2010 with optimistic planning and forecast in growth,' said Y.I. Song, HMM chairman and chief executive officer. 'Part of our planning includes increased capacity on the PSW as well as other summer deployment services to meet demand for our customers.'
   Hyundai also said it and other members of the New World Alliance will introduce a new U.S. West Coast service and reconfigure a current service.
   The new Pacific Southwest 5 service (PS5) departs Shanghai on its first vessel/voyage for the eastbound sailing, the APL Liberty, on May 26 and arriving in Los Angeles on June 7.
   The PS5 rotation is Shanghai, Busan, Los Angeles, Oakland, Yokohama, Busan and Shanghai. Hyundai said it will have five ships with average capacity of 4,700 TEUs; ComPair Data estimates average capacity at 4,976 TEUs.
   Changes for the existing Pacific Coast Express service (PCE) take effect at Dalian, China, with the eastbound sailing of the APL Xingang on May 23, arriving in Los Angeles on June 10.
   The revised PCE rotation is Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Yokohama, Los Angeles, Oakland, Hong Kong, Chiwan and Dalian. Six vessels with an average capacity of 3,500 TEUs are on this service, Hyundai said.