SM Line launches intra-Asia loops

The new South Korean carrier has started two of five planned intra-Asia strings this week, is commencing a transpacific service in mid-April, and reportedly wants to launch a service to Savannah and New York in 2018.    The new South Korean carrier SM Line started up two intra-Asia services this week and will commence a transpacific service in mid-April, which will connect Busan, Shanghai and Ningbo with Long Beach.
   SM Line President Kim Chil-bong told Pulse News, a website affiliated with Maeil Business News Korea, that the carrier also has ambitions to start a service between Asia and the U.S. East Coast next year that would include calls in Savannah and the Port of New York and New Jersey.
   Samra Midas Group, the owner of bulk shipping company Korea Line Corp., created SM Group after Korea’s leading container carrier, Hanjin Shipping, entered liquidation last year, Kim told Pulse. The company aims to help the shipping industry in Korea recover, he said.
   The company is also reportedly interested in acquiring shipbuilder STX, Pulse reported.
   “It would take a long time for the Korean shipping industry to recover as more overseas ship owners than we think have turned their back on the nation’s shippers after the Hanjin Shipping collapse,” Kim added.
   SM Line’s new website includes schedules and maps showing the rotations of all of its services.
   The first ship in its China Pacific Express service, SM Long Beach, is due to depart Ningbo April 16 and arrive in Long Beach April 30. The loop will have a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Long Beach, Busan and Ningbo.
   A company spokesman told American Shipper that five ships will be deployed on the service, which will have a capacity of about 6,500 TEUs. He said the company is initially targeting non-vessel-operating common carriers, as well as some mid-size beneficial cargo owners as customers for its transpacific service.
   The first ships in the company’s Vietnam Thailand service and Korea Haiphong Express service departed Kwangyang and Incheon, respectively, on Thursday.
   The Vietnam Thailand service utilizes three ships with a rotation of Kwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City, Yantian and Kwangyang.
   Meanwhile, the Korea Haiphong Express service uses two ships with a rotation of Incheon, Kwangyang, Busan, Hong Kong, Haiphong, Xiamen and Incheon.
   The first ship in SM Line’s West India service will depart from Shanghai on March 19. The service will use six ships and will have a rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Port Kelang, Nhava Sheva, Pipvav, Colombo, Port Kelang, Singapore, Vung Tau, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
   The company also has plans to offer a Korea-Japan and a Korea-China service.