PIL boosts South East Asia - NZ service with new East Asia-NZ link
Time：2014-08-14
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The new service will be offered through slots on the weekly Asia New Zealand Express (ANZEX/NZN), jointly operated by CMA CGM and OOCL, Alphaliner Weekly reported.
This service calls at Busan, Suva, Auckland, Port Chalmers, Lyttelton, Napier, Tauranga, Noumea, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Keelung (from September), Ningbo, Shanghai and back to Busan.
The loop turns in seven weeks with seven ships of 2,400 - 2,700 TEU. But PIL ships will not go to Suva, Port Chalmers and Noumea as the carrier covers Suva (Fiji) and Noumea (New Caledonia) through its Pacific Direct Line.
The arrangement, which PIL markets as New Zealand China Service (NCS), started with the sailing of the OOCL operated 2,546-TEU Hammonia Berolina from Hong Kong.
Apart from direct two-way connections, it also provides a continuity to the Tauranga - East Asia northbound connection that used to be offered with the recently closed CTP triangular service connecting East Asia, USWC and ANZ.
The NCS focuses on central and north east Asian ports, so far connected to New Zealand by PIL through transshipment on the weekly SE Asia-NZ (NZS/NZX) service operated jointly by PIL, OOCL, MOL and NYK.
This service connects Port Kelang, Singapore, Brisbane, Auckland, Lyttelton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Port Kelang, with a fleet of six panamax vessels of 4,000 to 5,000 TEU.