CKYH alliance to add 14th transpacific West Coast link
The CKYH alliance of COSCO Container Lines, “K” Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping will introduce its 14th Asia/U.S. West Coast service in April or May.
The carrier grouping, which already provides the largest number of transpacific container services, will add a weekly service calling at Qingdao, Shanghai, Pusan, Los Angeles, Oakland and Qingdao. The service will employ five vessels of about 3,500-TEU capacity that currently operate on another Pacific service.
A Yang Ming executive official said that the transfer of the 3,500-TEU ships is linked to the introduction of five new 5,500-TEU vessels to be delivered to Yang Ming for its “PSW-2” transpacific service. This service has a rotation of Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Los Angeles, Oakland, Keelung, Kaohsiung and Hong Kong.
The capacity expansion of the “PSW-2” service and the addition of the 14th loop will add a combined one-way capacity of about 290,000 TEUs a year to the transpacific trade.