Evergreen/Wan Hai/Interasia Lines to launch Taiwan-Madras direct service

Evergreen Line, Wan Hai Line and Interasia Lines launch a weekly Taiwan-Madras Trunk Service (TMT Service) since April 29 from the port of Taichung.

"India enjoys an annual economic growth rate of 8-9% with the cargo volume increasing from the Far East to India each year," said a spokesperson for the three carriers. "As the main gate for East India, Chennai has a bright future." It will also be the first time that Evergreen Line has called at a port in East India.

The 28-day trade route is as follows :

Taichung-Keelung-Hong Kong-Hong Kong (MID stream)-Nansha-Shekou-Port Klang-Chennai-Penang-Port Klang-Singapore-Yantian-Hong Kong-Taichung

Evergreen Line will deploy one ship, Wan Hai will deploy two vessels and Interasia Lines will also supply one ship of 1,300 TEU to operate in this trade lane. Interasia Line's Karin Schulte will make the first sailing.

The highest container throughput since Busan Port opened, more than 1.4 million TEU. As the container throughput increased remarkably, the highest monthly record was broken.

Busan Port Authority (BPA) announced on April 6 that the throughput of containers handled at Busan Port last month stood at 1.401 million TEU, the highest record. The previous record was 1.264 million TEU set in May of last year. The new record is 17.1% up from the same month of last year: import/export is 790,000 TEU (19.8% rise) and transshipment 604,000 TEU (13.5%).

The accumulated throughput from January to March is also the record, standing at 3.723 million TEU, a 13.8 % increase from the same period of last year. Behind the reason for the increase is the rise of imports and exports for the U.S.A, China, Russia and developing countries, whose economies are recovering from the recession, and the increase of transshipment cargoes led by BPA's active marketing activities.

BPA plans to expand its global marketing aimed at world major shipping companies to raise the transshipment share up to 60%.

Mr. Park, marketing director of BPA, said that amid global economic disasters such as the unrest in Middle East and the earthquake in Japan, the marketing efforts made by BPA came to reap the fruits adding that if the current upward trend is kept all year, the 15 million TEU target is easily met, helping Busan Port maintain its 5th largest port status in the world. <Korea Shipping Gazette>