Va. trumpets first direct Asia import call

Va. trumpets first direct Asia import call    The Port of Virginia will be the first U.S. East Coast stop for a reconfigured Asia/North America service provided by the CKYH Alliance, a first for the port.
   The port said it has also been newly included on two other services from Asia, one from the CKYH Alliance and the other by China Shipping.
   Virginia Port Authority officials stressed in a news release the importance of the port getting a first-in service from Asia. The service, marketed as NATCO-4 by CKYH member 'K' Line, which supplies all the vessels for the loop, will see Norfolk become the first stop from Asia as opposed to New York.
   The rotation change is part of an overhaul of the alliance’s all-water transpacific services between Asia and the U.S. East Coast, as reported by AmericanShipper.com on March 23.
   The new eastbound rotation for the service will be Shanghai, Chiwan, Yantian, Hong Kong, Virginia and New York, while the service will return to Asia either via the Suez Canal or around the tip of Africa, not via the Panama Canal.
   “The first-in service is critical for timely import cargo that needs to be offloaded from the vessel and on its way to market as quickly as possible,” said Russell Held, the Virginia Port Authority’s deputy executive director of development. “There is no profitability for cargo in transit, so this is an economical advantage for our customers because a first-in vessel essentially means products get on the shelves faster.
   “This is our first, first-in service from Asia. This is something we have been working on for the better part of two years and we are confident we can build on it.”
   The service, which links major ports in China with the U.S. East Coast, is called the AWE 4 by COSCO, AWK by Hanjin Shipping, and AW4 by Yang Ming, the other members of the CKYH alliance.
   The port said the service will use eight vessels with capacities of 3,850 TEUs. It should be noted that the current rotation of the service, according to 'K' Line, calls at New York, then Norfolk, then Savannah. It's not clear whether Savannah will be retained on the service. The first vessel in the changed NATCO-4 service is scheduled to depart Asia at the end of April.
   Meanwhile, in May, CKYH will add Virginia to its stops in the alliance’s weekly new NATCO-5 service, while cutting out Charleston and switching the rotation of its Asian ports eastbound.
   The revised NATCO-5 eastbound port rotation is Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Xiamen, Savannah, Virginia and New York. The service will use eight vessels each with a capacity of 3,300 TEUs from the beginning of May. The service currently starts in Xiamen and works its way north to Busan before sailing direct to Savannah.
   Another new arrival at the Port of Virginia is a China Shipping service between China and the U.S. East Coast. The port said China Shipping's AAE-1 service will once again call at Norfolk, using vessels in the 2,000- to 3,000-TEU range.
   'More than a year ago China Shipping began to bypass Virginia in the rotation of this service, but in mid-June it will renew its calls to Virginia,' the port said.
   The eastbound rotation for AAE-1 is Shanghai, Hong Kong, Yantian, Miami, Savannah, Virginia and New York.
   “Collectively, we’re talking about 150-plus additional ship calls a year,” Held said. “It says a lot about this port when we can announce this kind new business in what is currently a very tough economic climate.” ' Eric Johnson