Wan Hai Lines makes maiden voyage to Northport

KUALA LUMPUR: Taiwanese shipping company Wan Hai Lines has made its maiden voyage through Malaysian waters to Northport today after launching its independent new service, connecting Asia and the East Coast of North America.

The call at Northport terminal was an expansion of Wan Hai Lines' AA7 service, which was launched in June 2021, aimed at strengthening the network between Asia and the US East Coast due to strong demand in both markets.

The AA7 service is operated by eleven container vessels with a capacity of 2,800 to 4,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The rotation of AA7 service includes the ports of Ningbo (China), Taipei (Taiwan), Xiamen (China), Shekou (China), Cai Mep (Vietnam), Port Klang – Northport (Malaysia), New York (US East Coast), Savannah (US East Coast) and Ningbo (China).

Northport (Malaysia) Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Azman Shah Mohd Yusof said the port operator was delighted to be one of the ports of call for Wan Hai Lines' AA7 service, connecting Asia and the United States (US) East Coast.

"For Northport, this service is important as it is the first service that connects our port with ports in the US since April 2017.

"We believe that the direct service from Port Klang to the US East Coast will further enhance the capacity and competency of Malaysian ports, especially in connecting our local exporters and importers with the US markets, within competitive transit time," he said in a statement today.

Malaysia's trade with the US increased by 21 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to RM137.58 billion in the first eight months of 2021 from RM114.11 billion recorded in the same period a year ago, according to statistics from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade).

The US is Malaysia's third-largest trading partner, with exports and imports standing at RM89.95 billion and RM47.63 billion during the same period.

Azman said the new service would open up more opportunities for local shippers to expand their market into the world's largest economies.

"Demand for warehouse space for regional distribution to fulfil the needs of US-based companies is also expected to increase.

"This service will also further strengthen our business relationship with Wan Hai Lines on the foundation of excellent service quality, reliability and trust," he added.

Meanwhile, Wan Hai Lines' business relationship with Northport had been established more than three decades ago with the commencement of its Singapore/Malaysia service at Northport (then known as Klang Container Terminal or KCT) in June 1989, with only 7,500 TEUs handled in that year.

Wan Hai Lines has grown significantly ever since, and in 2015, the Taiwan-based shipping line became the first shipping line in Northport to successfully hit one million TEUs in a single year.

Wan Hai Lines, which offers the most comprehensive service network in the Far East with more than 85 services, is Northport's biggest customer in terms of container throughput.

Currently, Wan Hai Lines is the 10th largest container shipping line globally, with 149 vessels.

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