MAERSK LINE LAUNCHES DIRECT SERVICE BETWEEN BR-VT AND U.S. EAST COAST

Cargo can now be directly shipped from Vietnam to Newark, Charleston, Savannah and Miami in the U.S., thus cutting shipment time between Vietnam and the U.S. East Coast. For instance, it will take 25 days to carry goods from Vietnam to Newark, down from 28 days, 28 days to Charleston, 29 days to Savannah, and 32 days to Miami.

According to Maersk Line in Vietnam, two-way trade between Vietnam and the U.S. has grown strongly since the two nations normalized diplomatic ties two decades ago. Export and import volumes of containerized cargo have grown at double-digit rates.

The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact which Vietnam signed with 11 other Pacific Rim countries, including the U.S., in February this year will help boost two-way trade between Vietnam and the U.S. Therefore, Maersk Line’s new direct service and current shipping link between Ba Ria-Vung Tau and the U.S. West Coast form a complete shipping system and thus quicken cargo transport.

The shorter shipping time allows local enterprises to reduce costs and strengthen the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods like seafood, apparel and footwear.

The Ministry of Transport met last Thursday with leaders of A. P. Moller and the Maersk Group to allow the carrier to add more large ships to the Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex.

Rene Piil Pedersen, Group representative for the Maersk Group in the Asia-Pacific region based in Singapore and managing director of A. P. Moller Singapore Pte Ltd., said that after the launch of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau-U.S. East Coast service, Maersk Line would bring container vessels of 18,000 TEUs with a length of 400 meters to Ba Ria-Vung Tau to carry cargo to northern Europe in 2017.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Cong said the ministry has allowed shipping lines to bring vessels with a loading capacity of over 18,000 TEUs to some terminals in Cai Mep-Thi Vai port complex. The ministry has a plan to dredge the navigational passage to a depth of 15.5 meters to allow in larger vessels.

Maersk Line is the world’s leading shipping firm providing container transport services with three brands Maersk Line, Saftmarine, and Sealand. It now has 374 offices in 130 countries with 25,500 staff and a fleet of 610 vessels with 7,100 sailors. The firm is holding majority stakes in MCC Transport in Asia, Seago Line in Europe, and Mercosul in Brazil. The Maersk Group owing Maersk Line has its head office located at Copenhagen, Denmark with 89,207 staff in 130 nations.

Source: The Saigon Times