CORRECTION: PO Shipping stays in TP

   The China-based liner carrier PO Shipping will continue to serve the transpacific trade to Southern California, although its former partner Taiwan-based T.S. Lines has bowed out. 
   The lines have halted their jointly run TP2 service, which had a rotation of Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach, and Xiamen. It was previously operated by six vessels with an average of 3,108 TEUs. In October, PO Shipping and TS Lines pulled a string that called in Northeast Asia and at Long Beach and Oakland. In July, they stopped a their express service between Ningbo, Shanghai and Long Beach. 
   The two lines also scuttled joint plans for a new service in December, connecting Qingdao, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Ningbo and Busan with Los Angeles and Oakland. 
   A PO Shipping spokesman said PO Shipping will continue independently to offer three transpacific services between Long Beach and the South and Central China ports of Hong Kong, Xiamen, Yantian, Shanghai and Ningbo. The line has yet to firm the vessel sizes for the services. 
   The spokesman said the line also takes slots on the ACC service operated in agreement with China Shipping serving North China, which includes a rotation of Qingdao, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Ningbo, Pusan, Los Angeles, Oakland and Qingdao. In addition, the line takes slots on a South China service with COSCO Container Lines, with a rotation of Cai Mep, Nansha, Hong Kong, Yantian, Xiamen, Long Beach and Cai Mep. 
   “This year we have added connections to Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and the Middle East. We will continue to grow and offer expanded services to meet our customers’ requirements,” said MJ Dornford, vice president of sales and marketing for P O Shipping Agency (USA), Inc.