MOL-CKYH drop Halifax on Vietnam/U.S. East Coast

MOL-CKYH drop Halifax on Vietnam/U.S. East Coast    A service linking Southeast Asia with the East Coast of North America will undergo a rotation change at the end of August, according to an operator of the loop.
   Liner carrier MOL said last week its SVE loop, which it operates with the CKYH Alliance carriers, will drop a call in Halifax at the end of the month. The revised rotation will be Cai Mep, Shekou, Hong Kong, Yantian, Singapore, New York, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Savannah, Singapore and Cai Mep.
   The line said the call in Halifax will be dropped for 'increased punctuality of overall vessel schedule,' with faster transit times from Asia to New York to result.
   MOL added that in Cai Mep, the service will switch to the Tan Cang International Terminal, which opened in January and is partially owned by MOL, Hanjin Shipping and Wan Hai.
   The service, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data, operates with nine vessels (seven from CKYH member 'K' Line and two from MOL) with an average capacity of 5,774 TEUs. 'K' Line calls the service NATCO-4, COSCO Container Lines calls it AWE-4, Yang Ming calls it AW4, and Hanjin calls it AWK.
   The NATCO-4/SVE is one of only eight services to connect Cai Mep with North America and one of only three to do so with the East Coast. All three services (another CKYH service and one Grand Alliance service) go via the Suez Canal. The Grand Alliance’s AEX will now be the only service to connect Halifax with Southeast Asia, according to ComPair Data.