Kwangyang stagnant in new calling

New callings at the Port of Kwangyang are turning out to be more or less inert. New entries to the Port of Kwangyang in the first half this year only came to three, with those services being from CMA, Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and Hanjin Shipping (HJS), respectively.

CMA, a French liner, started its service at Kwangyang from March 6th, putting nine 2,800 TEU vessels in the service. The service route follows as: Kwangyang, Pusan, Shaimen, Hongkong, Damietta, Malta, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Giebourge, Le Havre, Malta, Port Kelang, Hong Kong, Qingdao, Dalian and Kwangyang.

HMM entered a service calling at Kwangyang, Tianjin, Pusan, and Kwangyang from March 13, deploying the 918 TEU 'HD. Primorsky'.

HMM also replaced its five 5,500 TEU vessels with 6,500 TEU ones starting from mid-February till late June in the PSW (Pacific South West). The PSW service stops at Pusan, Kwangyang, Yantian, HongKong, Kaohsiung, Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma and Pusan.

HJS, also added to Kwangyang with its PNX-2 (Pacific Northwest Express - 2) service in the westbound service linking Asia and the Pacific Northwest beginning March 7. The service calls at HongKong, Kaohsiung, Kwangyang, Pusan, Seattle, Vancouver, Pusan, Kwangyang, Keelung and HongKong, operating three 4,000 TEU vessels including the 'Hanjin Malta'.

However, these new entries at the Port of Kwangyang declined compared to past years. In 1998, when the Port of Kwangyang opened, a total of 19 weekly services including four callings from Maersk-Sealand opened, and 11 new services came into being in 1999. And last year, a total of 17 new sailings, including COSCO and China Shipping, were launched at the Port of Kwangyang.

Meanwhile, HMM is scheduled to make a call at the Port of Kwangyang in its KMS (Korea Middle East Service) sometime during the middle of July. This service will include six 2,174 TEU vessels from HMM and will call at Inchon, Kwangyang, Pusan, Keelung, HongKong, Yantian, Singapore, Port Kelang, Colombo, Jebel Ali, Port Rashid, Dammam, Karachi, HongKong and Inchon.