Port Everglades lands China service

Port Everglades lands China service With a delegation representing Port Everglades fittingly on a trip to China, Port Everglades announced Thursday that the Far East-based carriers Cosco and Evergreen will begin calling the port June 14 as part of their newly restructured China/U.S. East Coast service.

from left, : Zhu Kai, Cosco deputy manager; Manuel Almira, Port Everglades assistant director of business development for cargo marketing; Yu Xuelian, Cosco deputy section manager; Madam Chen Xiang, Cosco deputy managing director; Broward County Mayor Ben Graber; Port Everglades director Phillip C. Allen; Norman Taylor, director of the Broward County Office of Economic Development; Frank Rovirosa Sr., president of Florida Stevedores; and Cheng Jing, Network Planning & Alliance.

   The weekly 'CUE' service has a port rotation of Shanghai, Yantian, Hong Kong, Colon, Savannah, Port Everglades, Colon, Shanghai. It replaces an earlier all-water East Coast service the called the Chinese ports of Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Yantian. That service started out with a U.S. East Coast call at Savannah, and in April the carriers started calling the Port of Miami.
   The new service was officially announced by Broward County Mayor Ben Graber, who is on the trade mission to China with port director Phillip Allen and assistant director of cargo marketing Manuel Almira, as well as other Broward officials and representatives of private sector companies hoping to attract China business.
   'We are actively seeking to expand globally by focusing much of our marketing attention on the Far East,' Allen noted. 'The Cosco/Evergreen service adds to our growing list of carriers, including Evergreen and Marittima Italiana (an Italy-based, Evergreen-owned carrier formerly known as Lloyd Triestino), that provide service between South Florida and the Far East market.'
   The trade mission is not directly connected to the new China service calling the port, but it is an indication of the ports efforts to expand its presence beyond Latin America and the Caribbean and into Asia. The trade mission is the second time a Broward delegation has gone to China.
   'This is a significant coup for Broward County as Cosco (China Ocean Shipping Company) and Evergreen are two of the Far East's leaders in the worldwide shipping industry,' Graber commented. 'With the warm reception we received from our partners at Cosco, we believe there is even greater opportunity for trading partnerships with China in the near term.'
   Cosco is the largest container carrier in China, and Evergreen is the largest carrier from Taiwan. Both are among the top 10 carriers for container volumes in the total U.S. liner trades.
   Port Everglades officials estimated the CUE service will add 38,500 containers representing some 300,000 tons during the first year of operations at the port. Stevedoring will be handled by APM Terminals, a division of Denmark-based A.P. Moller-Maersk.
   Graber commented that officials need to continue to pursue trade opportunities with China.
   'It is important for us to continue building our relationships with China and explore new opportunities as well as follow up on existing relationships with businesses from our first mission,' Graber said. 'China has become an important market in the new world economy. The interest by Chinese consumers for American products is increasing rapidly and the demand for goods and services is in an upward movement.'