APL, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) have announced the launch of a joint service between major trading hubs in Asia and key ports in Mexico, Colombia and Panama.
In a joint statement made by the carriers, APL, MOL and NYK said that Asia is an important market for exporters in Latin America. By providing weekly sailings, competitive transit times, as well as regional connectivity to Central America, west coast South America and the Caribbean basin, the lines expect to serve transpacific goods flows. In particular the service is aimed at shippers moving refrigerated cargo from Latin America to Asian markets.
The Asia-South America service replaces the Southeast Asia 1 service. Eight post-Panamax ships of about 6,000 TEUs will be deployed in the joint service. APL will operate six vessels while MOL and NYK will operate one vessel each.
