MAERSK SEALAND EXPANDS TRANSPACIFIC CAPACITY

MAERSK SEALAND EXPANDS TRANSPACIFIC CAPACITY    Maersk Sealand will launch another weekly container service in the transpacific trade in November, adding about 145,000 TEUs in annual one-way capacity.
   The Danish mega-carrier’s new TP7 service between Asia and the U.S. East Coast will employ eight ships of about 2,800-TEU capacity. It will call at Hong Kong, Yantian, Kwangyang, Panama, Miami, Norfolk, Savannah, Norfolk, Yokohama, Kobe, Hong Kong and Yantian.
   The first eastbound sailing will be from Hong Kong on Nov. 15.
   At the same time, Maersk Sealand will shorten the rotation of its existing Asia/California/U.S. East Coast TP2 service and reassign several vessels. The revised TP2 operation will see vessels omit U.S. East Coast ports and turn around in Long Beach.
   The TP2 service will utilize five vessels instead of the current 10. The other five ships will move to the new TP7 loop.
   The revised TP2 service will have a rotation of Yantian, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kwangyang, Long Beach, Oakland, Dutch Harbor, Yokohama, Nagoya, Busan, Naha, Yantian, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
   Following the changes, Maersk Sealand will provide seven weekly container services between Asia and North America, of which one operates via the Suez canal.