27th August 2007

NST LOGISTICS

More shipping services link Port Klang with China

Shipping services between Malaysia and China has been on rise in tandem with the increasing bilateral trade of two countries.
 
Malaysia’s external trade with China rose by 15.5per cent totaling RM52 billion in the first half of this year compared with RM45.44 billion in the corresponding period of previous year.
 
Malaysia exported RM282.99 billion worth of item to China and imported RM238. 39 billion worth of goods in the January-June period of 2007.
 
“In view of the huge flow of external trade volume, shipping lines continue to focus on the China market either upgrading or mounting new services,” said the general manager of Sea Consortium, Capt Ananda Kumar.
 
Sea Consortium has joined hands with Wan Hai Lines, Cheng Lie Navigation to launch a new dedicated weekly service to China effective September 2007.
 
The service is also aimed at linking ports in China and India. The service offers one of the fastest transit times between the China and the East Coast of India.
 
“The rotation of this service links Qingdao, Lianyungang, Shanghai, Singapore, Port Klang, Chennai, Port Klang, Singapore, Hongkong, Qingdao,” said Capt Kumar.
 
Sea Consortium’s service North China to Chennai (NCC) starting next month, with four 1,700TEUs vessels.
 
The NCC service offers one of the fastest direct callers to/from 4 China Ports of Hong Kong, Qingdao, Lianyungang and Shanghai, said Capt Kumar.
 
Besides the service by Sea Consortium, Korea Marine Transport Co., Ltd.(KMTC), Cheng Lie Navigation Co., Ltd.(CNC) have also started a new service to China which links four major ports namely Xingang, Qingdao, Hong Kong and Shekou effective end of July.
 
The new China/Korea /Southeast Asia/India service named NIX (New India Express) will operate a fixed day weekly service with five containerships (KMTC places four containerships including two vessels with 1,860 TEUs of its own, Cheng Lie Navigation Co., Ltd. Has placed one containership).
 
The service rotation covers Xingang – Qingdao – Busan - Hong Kong – Shekou – Singapore - Port Klang - Nhava Sheva -Port Klang – Singapore - Hong Kong – Busan - Xingang. The service is expected to meet the customers’ needs with connecting growing container markets of Xingang, Qingdao to Southeast-Asia and India.
 
Meanwhile, MISC Bhd included four China ports - Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou and Hong Kong - in its new Asia South Africa Service effective May this year.
 
The East and Westbound service is offered in a consortium comprising PIL and K Line calling Northport weekly.
 
Members of the consortium deploy seven containerships of 3300 - 3800 TEUs capacity. The newly-revised port rotation of the service covers Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang, Colombo, Durban, Cape Town, Colombo, Port Klang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
 
Singapore-based Pacific International Lines has also initiated weekly sailings to China from Northport at Port Klang under the banner of China Straits Thailand since June this year.
 
The weekly service also links Port Klang with four major Chinese ports namely Hong Kong, Ningbo, Qingdao and Shanghai.
 
The German-base Hapag Lloyd together with Wan Hai Lines has also started a weekly sailing from Port Klang known as China Red Sea Express.

  
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