Wan Hai/’K’ Line to start TP service

   The liner carriers “K” Line and Wan Hai will cooperate on a new transpacific service, Wan Hai said last week.
   The service, expected to start in early May, will have a rotation of Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Long Beach, and Qingdao. It will be run with five 4,000-TEU vessels (three from “K” Line and two from Wan Hai).
   Wan Hai also said it will take slots on a CKYH Green Alliance transpacific service operated by “K” Line – the “K” Line service is its Calco-C service – with a rotation of Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Shanghai, Long Beach, Oakland, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Xiamen.
   According to American Shipper liner affiliate ComPair Data, Wan Hai’s only current exposure to the transpacific is through the operation of one vessel on COSCO Container Line’s SEA service, which has a rotation of Nansha, Hong Kong, Yantian, Xiamen, Long Beach, and Nansha. It’s currently operated with five vessels (four from COSCO and one from Wan Hai) with an average capacity of 8,436 TEUs. — Eric Johnson