APL ADDS CAPACITY IN PACIFIC TRADE

APL ADDS CAPACITY IN PACIFIC TRADE    APL is adding capacity in the transpacific trade by introducing two new 5,500-TEU containerships in the joint Asia/U.S. West Coast SAX service of the New World Alliance.
   The “APL Scotland” will enter the service mid-May, followed by the “APL Holland” at the end of July.
   The two new vessels are replacing two smaller ships of about 4,300-TEU capacity in the six-ship SAX service, which calls at Los Angeles, Oakland, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Laem Chabang, Singapore, Los Angeles and Oakland.
   According to World Liner Supply, a reporting service of the online global shipping database ComPairData, the New World Alliance currently controls 18 percent of the transpacific capacity and is the capacity leader in the trade. New World Alliance carriers APL, Hyundai and MOL provide a transpacific capacity of about 34,800 TEUs a week, with 54 vessels operated on nine separate weekly loops.
   Hyundai also recently introduced larger ships in one of the transpacific services of the New World Alliance.
   In May, the New World Alliance carriers will introduce their 10th weekly transpacific service by jointly taking space on an existing all-water Asia/U.S. East Coast service operated by Evergreen.