Grand Alliance upgrades Central China Express service

Grand Alliance members of Transpacific Trade - Hapag-Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) announced on July 18 to restructure and upgrade the Central China Express Service (CCX).

Effective from August, 2007, Grand Alliance will adjust the port rotation of CCX to Ningbo / Shanghai / Los Angeles / Ningbo. CCX will call at the new Yangshan terminal in Shanghai.

Four 5,500-TEU vessels will be deployed in the service, an upgrade in capacity from four 4,000-TEU vessels.

With these changes, the new CCX service will offer a direct call from Shanghai to Los Angeles with the best transit time (10 days) in the industry, which will enhance Grand Alliance? capability in serving the needs of the customers in the fast growing markets.

The Grand Alliance, formed in 1998, is the leading integrated consortium in global container shipping. Its members are Hapag-Lloyd (Germany), MISC Berhad (Malaysia), NYK (Japan) and OOCL (Hong Kong). MISC Berhad does not provide any Transpacific services.