Team Northport > February Bulletin 2

World No.1 shipping line thumbs to Northport

More shipping services linked Northport to global ports last year further strengthening its role as the most connected port in Malaysia.

Northport, at Port Klang, billed as Malaysia’s world port received a total of 14 new major new services strings mounted by 16 mainline and feeder operators.

The widening of the shipping connectivity at Northport gives shippers in Malaysia wider option for shipping services to global markets.

The widening of the shipping connectivity and option for shippers in Malaysia is also seen as an important contribution to meeting their supply chain management requirements and fulfills needs of just-in-time inventory management or product cycles.

China remains a key market for Malaysia in the intra-Asian trade sector and this is reflected in the range of shipping services at Northport.

Shipping services to China continued to grow in tandem with the expanding Sino-Malaysia trade. The dynamic of China market is also evident from the string of new services by 9 major players. This included services mounted by Hyundai Merchant Marine, Bengal Tiger Line, NYK Line, Pacific International Lines, Wan Hai Lines, Hapag Lloyds, Evergreen, Seacon and China Navigation - in 2007.

The operators expanded the links with Northport with connectivity with 11 major ports namely Dalian, Xing gang, Tianjin, Lungkou, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Yantian, Shekou and Hong Kong.

Hyundai Merchant Marine, Bengal Tiger Liner and NYK Line consortium members inaugurated Asia Chennai Service (ACS) which is in addition to the services to Chiwan port and Shanghai in China served by the group.

The ACS service started with m.v Magnavia on August 2007 and the full rotation of the service covers Ulsan, Pusan, Shanghai, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Klang and Chennai.

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines inaugurated the China Straits Thailand service linking Northport with four major ports in China namely Hong Kong, Ningbo, Qingdao and Shanghai on a weekly schedule.

Meanwhile, Wan Hai Lines mounted two new weekly sailings with connections to six ports in China last year, with the arrival of Frankfurt Express to inaugurate the China Red Sea Express Service in association with Hapag Lloyds in February 2007 with connectivity to Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong and Shekou.

Towards third quarter of last year, Wan Hai Lines inaugurated North China Chennai service with four 1,700 TEUs ships. The new joint weekly service with Sea Consortium and Cheng Lie Navigation offers one of the fastest transit times from three Chinese ports, namely, Qingdao, Lianyungang and Shanghai.

The service was designed to serve between the booming China market and East Coast of India. The full rotation of this service covers Qingdao-Lianyungang-Shanghai-Singapore-Port Klang-Chennai-Port Klang-Singapore-Hongkong-Qingdao

Connectivity to the Australasia market has also been enhanced with the commencement of Asia Australia Alliance-Tores Loop service from Northport. The service which started with the arrival of Nordwelle on 22 March last year increased shippers’ selection of shipping lines to Australian ports namely Brisbane, Sydney, Bell Bay and Fremantle. The weekly service mounted by a consortium comprising Japan-base Mitsui O.S.K Line, Malaysia-base MISC Bhd and Hong-Kong –base OOCL.

Northport’s connectivity with South African market was enhanced with two new weekly services in 2007.

MISC Bhd, the national carrier started a new Asia South Africa Service (Eastbound and Westbound) effective May 2007. The joint service with MISC Bhd, PIL and K Line is served by seven containerships of 3,300 – 3,800 TEUs capacity.

The revised port rotation of the service covered Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang, Colombo, Durban, Cape Town, Colombo, Port Klang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The westbound and eastbound service which offers a direct call at Colombo with three days transit time between Port Klang is ideal service for the high growth markets in the Indian Sub-Continent as well as those of the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Maersk further expanded Northport’s connectivity to Africa with its Far and West Africa services effective 3 September 2007. The service offers additional option for Malaysian shippers to reach Lome by Port of Togo, Nigerian market by Apapa port and Benin via Cotonou port in the West Africa.