UNITED ALLIANCE BIDS FOR DIRECT SOUTH CHINA CALL IN PACIFIC

   The United Alliance of Hanjin Shipping, DSR-Senator and Cho Yang Shipping has applied to the Chinese ministry of communications for the right to serve South China direct in the transpacific trade.
    The alliance aims to offer a direct eastbound China/U.S. service by calling at Yantian with its "PS-Pendulum 1" weekly container service.      Vessels in the "pendulum" service currently call at Singapore, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Los Angeles and Oakland, before sailing to Asia, Europe and back to Asia again. A spokesman for Hanjin in Seoul said that the carrier plans to add an eastbound Yantian call between          Singapore and Hong Kong "if and when the Chinese authorities approve the application.
    The bid to obtain a permission to call at South China ports direct instead of serving South China via Hong Kong is seen as crucial to compete in the thriving China/U.S. trade.
    The United Alliance is the only global alliance of containership operators that does not currently offer a direct South China/U.S. transpacific service.
    According to ComPairData, the global shipping database on the Internet at https://www.compairdata.com, the Maersk Line/Sea-Land Service alliance and the Grand Alliance each provide two weekly transpacific loops between South China and the U.S. The New World Alliance operates three and the China Ocean Shipping Co./Yangming/"K" Line alliance will add a third direct transpacific South China/U.S. link on Dec. 3.