Danish Maersk Line, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies, said Sep. 3 it would launch a weekly feeder service between Vietnam and the West Coast of the United States via Hong Kong this month, thus reducing the transportation time.
The Pacific Express Service will start on Sep. 16 from Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City and connect with Maersk’s TP6 trans-Pacific service in Hong Kong for a direct connection with the Port of Los Angeles, Maersk Line Vietnam announced.
Maersk Line Vietnam general director Peter Smidt-Nielsen said the new service, thanks to combination with TP6, will provide shippers with a transit time of 17 days from the time of departure in Ho Chi Minh City to discharge in Los Angeles, saving two days. According to him, Maersk Line has analyzed the deployment and terminal opportunities in Vietnam and has listened to its customers to provide such a product.
The announcement of Maersk’s new feeder service follows the introduction earlier this summer of direct deep-sea services from the port of Cai Mep in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam, to the US West Coast by several other carriers, including APL and MOL. Smidt-Nielsen said his company is working with Vietnamese maritime and port authorities on possibilities for Maersk Line large vessels to call on Cai Mep Port for shipments to Europe and the US.
Since this June, foreign liners have launched four direct services connecting North America to Cai Mep Port. Last month, Japan’s shipping company K Line and six partners in the CKYH alliance including Coscon, Yang Ming and Hanjin launched a direct connection from Cai Mep to the East Coast of the US.
