The New World Alliance, a space-sharing agreement among APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd. and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., is readying a new container service between the U.S. East Coast and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent via the Suez Canal. The service will be the first of its kind, the partners claimed. Beginning in July, the Suez Express (SZX) will operate eight vessels of between 4,000 and 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Five of the ships will be contributed by APL; Hyundai and Mitsui OSK will supply the other three vessels. APL chief executive officer Ron Widdows said the service will offer an alternative to port and rail congestion in North America, complementing the carriers' other Suez and trans-Pacific routes. SZX will target customers in a range of industries, including fashion apparel and perishables. Transit times include 21 days from Singapore to New York, 24 days to Charleston, S.C., and 25 days to Savannah, Ga. The port rotation will be Singapore, Colombo, New York, Charleston, Savannah, Norfolk, Jebel Ali, Port Kelang and Singapore. The SZX will also attract cargo via feeder services from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. In a related development, the New World Alliance is cooperating with CMA CGM on a new all-water service from major Chinese export hubs to key destinations on the U.S. East Coast, via the Panama Canal. The service has been named ESX by the New World Alliance and SAX by CMA CGM. It will allow the liners to offer comprehensive port coverage and competitive transit times from Central and South China to Savannah, Ga. and New York. The service is scheduled to begin on June 4, deploying eight vessels operating on a 56-day rotation.
SE Asia-East Coast Service: http://www.apl.com
China-East Coast Service: http://www.apl.com