COSCO Vessels Begin Calling Port of Savannah

On May 18, Executive Director Doug J. Marchand of the Georgia Ports Authority announced at its board meeting that vessels of China Ocean Shipping Company now are calling on the Port of Savannah.

“We appreciate COSCO’s confidence in our ability to handle its container volume now and in the future,” Marchand said.

The M/V Zhen He, the first COSCO vessel to call, arrived at the GPA’s Garden City Terminal on May 10, 2009. Before its arrival, COSCO moved cargo through Savannah on vessels of other carriers in the CKYH alliance. COSCO, K-Line, Yang Ming, and Hanjin comprise the alliance. The carrier has moved cargo through the port with the AWE2 service, whose rotation includes Savannah, New York, Boston, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, and Yokahama.

“COSCO recognizes the importance of providing our customer with the most options in selecting a gateway for their cargo from Asia” said COSCO’s Vice President of Trade Howard Finkel. “By adding Savannah as a port of call for our vessels, we have enhanced our customers’ ability to reach the consumer markets faster and at a lower cost. The already established growing number of distribution facilities in proximity to the Port of Savannah represents a new and exciting market opportunity to grow our business.”