Three Carriers Launch China-Australia Express Service

Shipping companies Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), Evergreen and APL have teamed up on launching a new China-Australia service.

The weekly service covers the ports of Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It is scheduled to start on August 17, with the first sailing of Hyundai Supreme at Ningbo port.

A total of five 4,600 TEU Panamax vessels will be deployed in the service, with HMM providing two and Evergreen and APL three vessels.

Previously, HMM provided the service through a slot purchase from Maersk, MSC, ONE, and Hamburg Süd.

HMM said it is now elevating its Australian agent to a subsidiary status to strengthen its position in Australia and provide more stable service. The process will be completed before launching the new service.

Separately, Evergreen said that the new service will augment the line’s two current weekly services that call at ports in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia. The expansion in service offerings is in response to the increasing trade demand on the route, the company explained.