Asia/Middle East service joins slow parade

Asia/Middle East service joins slow parade    An APL-MOL service connecting the Far East and Middle East has begun slow steaming, according to research by American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   The carriers' West Asia Express (WAX) loop, with an average vessel size of 5,870 TEUs, began operating with six ships instead of five in late December. Another change to the service includes the dropping of inbound calls at Kaohsiung and the addition of a second call at Ningbo.
   It joins the growing list of services being slow steamed in the off-peak container shipping season. Services moving westbound from Asia to Europe have been particularly affected by the development, though transit times on head-haul legs largely remain unchanged, with the slowing coming mostly on backhauls.