Sinotrans leaves transpacific, closes Long Beach agency

Sinotrans leaves transpacific, closes Long Beach agency    Chinese carrier Sinotrans Container Lines (Sinolines) has left the transpacific trade and temporarily closed its exclusive North American agency in Long Beach.
   The carrier had been a participant since mid-November on compatriot COSCO Container Lines’ weekly Central China-Long Beach Express (CLX), which COSCO’s latest schedule describes as being “on hiatus.” The CLX had used four containerships averaging about 2,800 TEUs on a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach and back to Ningbo.
   Before the partnership with COSCO, Sinolines was part of a vessel sharing agreement with CSAV Norasia and Wan Hai that ceased towards the end of last year when the MTP loop was pulled.
   A spokesman for Sinotrans Shipping Agency (NA) Inc., the Shanghai-based carrier’s U.S. agency that is temporarily suspending operations, said the carrier is looking for another service partner to re-enter the transpacific sometime later this year.