Denmark-based Maersk Line has announced that it intends to add a new Transpacific service rather than continue with ad hoc sailings and extra loaders in the trade as congestion looks to extend well into 2021.
The new service will be called the TP23 and will call at East Coast ports thereby reducing the congestion on the US West Coast and offering shippers alternatives to the existing Asian export services, many of which call at Southern Californian ports.
“The new Transpacific East Coast service will include port calls in Vietnam and Yantian with a Panama Canal transit and direct connections to Savannah, Charleston and Newark in the US. Both transit times and reliability are expected to be market leading. We target to start the service in early May from Asia. More details on rotations, deployment and exact start dates will be shared in due course,” said a company statement. With the start date of the TP23 subject to compliance with any applicable regulatory requirements.
Source: Container News