TRANS-PACIFIC LINES BUILD-UP NOW INCLUDES XIAMEN WEEKLY

   Starting next week, Trans-Pacific Lines will upgrade the frequency of its calls in Xiamen from fortnightly to weekly.
   The Philippines-based transpacific shipping line, which entered the trade in May, first began operating with three 1,650-TEU vessels. Initially it offered a fortnightly service connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco to Busan, Manila, Xiamen, Yantian and Hong Kong in Asia.
   In July, three smaller 700-TEU were added to the service to give a weekly frequency, but only to San Francisco, Busan, Manila and Hong Kong.
   A spokesman for Trans-Pacific Lines in Hong Kong said that the carrier is considering larger ships than the three 700-TEU vessels so that all six ships are around 1,650-TEU.
   Plans to order three to five 2,300TEU new ships are also being considered.