Both the services offer relatively unique rotations for the trade, with one a pure Japan-Long Beach express service, and the other a Middle East-South Asia-Southeast Asia-North Asia-to-U.S. West Coast loop.
The latter will be operated with ships from Hanjin and NYK Line, and will have a rotation of Jebel Ali, Damman, Port Kelang, Singapore, Laem Chabang, Yantian, Los Angeles, Oakland, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Singapore, Colombo, and Jebel Ali. According to Hanjin, it will be operated with 11 6,500-TEU vessels, offering transit times of 19 days from Singapore to Los Angeles, 17 days from Laem Chabang to Los Angeles and 13 days from Yantian to the U.S. West Coast. The start date for the service is April 27.
Also of note, according to American Shipper liner research affiliate ComPair Data, there is only existing service connecting the Middle East and U.S. West Coast – Maersk Line’s TP6/AE6 service has a direct connection between Salalah and Los Angeles, with a 31-day transit time.
And there are no current direct connections between the Indian Subcontinent and the U.S. West Coast. Last year, CSAV introduced such a service but then withdrew it.
As for the Japan-Long Beach express service, the rotation will be Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo, Sendai, Long Beach, Tokyo, Nagoya, and Kobe. It will be operated with five 3,400-TEU ships provided the Grand Alliance carriers. Start date is May 10.
Hanjin currently takes slots on a Japan shuttle service operated by MOL and “K” Line, the latter of which is Hanjin’s partner in the CKYH Green Alliance. The service is a joint operation between the CKYH and New World Alliance, with five other lines besides Hanjin taking slots. — Eric Johnson
