New Pacific islands line emerges

   A new independent shipping line has been established to serve the Pacific island markets.
   The new carrier, Greater Pacific Shipping (GPS), is a partnership between three regional carriers – Pacific Direct Line (PDL), Sofrana Unilines (Sofrana) and Swire Shipping, the liner shipping division of The China Navigation Company (CNCo). PDL is a subsidiary of Pacific International Lines (PIL), one of the top 20 global carriers.
   The new line’s services will connect New Zealand and Australia with islands in the Pacific Ocean, including dedicated liner trades to the Cook Islands and French Polynesia, as well as northern and eastern Pacific ports.
   The services will be managed from Auckland, New Zealand by a dedicated team of Pacific Island shipping specialists.
   “The partnership between PDL, Sofrana and Swire is a perfect fit and we look forward to growing and developing our Pacific service offerings together,” said PDL Managing Director Olivier Ravel in a statement. – Eric Johnson