APL ships 94% on-time in TP in 2011

   The liner carrier APL said Tuesday on-time performance for the five transpacific services directly operated with its own ships was 94 percent in 2011.
   According to internal figures, APL ships missed their arrival window 15 times out of 234 port calls to the U.S. West Coast, with the delays caused by weather and port congestion.
   “We have continued our focus on providing customers with schedule reliability,” said APL President Ken Glenn. “Although our reliability figures have consistently remained above 90 percent, we won’t be satisfied until we achieve an even better on-time performance, in any market situation.”
   The report measures reliability on the five Asia-to-U.S. West Coast services operated exclusively with APL vessels – the PS1, PS2, PS5, PCE, and SAX. Of the five, the PS2 (with an eastbound rotation of Xiamen, Chiwan, Hong Kong, Yantian, Kaohsiung, Oakland, San Pedro, Manzanillo, and Lazaro Cardenas) had the best performance at 98 percent. The PS5 (with an eastbound rotation of Naha, Shanghai, Yangshan, Busan, San Pedro, and Oakland) had the worst at 87 percent.
   APL is part of the New World Alliance, along with MOL and Hyundai Merchant Marine, and takes space on transpacific services operated with other carriers’ ships.
   APL also reported its freight rates averaged $2,265 per FEU in the six-week period ending Dec. 30, 14 percent below the average in the same period at the end of 2010. The Singapore-based carrier said it carried 357,909 FEUs in the six-week period, 6 percent more than a year earlier. 
   “The increase in volume was mainly due to higher volumes carried on the intra-Asia trade lane. The decline in average revenue per FEU was mainly due to lower rates in the major trade lanes,” APL said.
   For the entire year, APL said it carried 2,978,700 FEUs, 7 percent more than in 2010. Rates averaged $2,500 in 2011, 10 percent less than in 2010.