Grand Alliance Adds Vietnam Stop

The Grand Alliance ocean container shipping venture will add Vietnam to its Asia East Coast Express service next month, joining the rapid buildup of international transportation connections to the country.

The alliance members Hapag-Lloyd, NYK Line and OOCL will add the deepwater port of Cai Mep to an AEX service that runs from Southeast Asia through the Suez Canal to the North American East Coast and back as of Jan. 9.

The port of Cai Mep, which handles 70 percent of Vietnam’s container trade, has been drawing calls by the world’s major container lines to handle Vietnam’s surging exports of textiles and apparel since last June when the port completed the first stage of dredging its main shipping channel down to 39 feet.

The Grand Alliance stop follows Vietnam services added since June by APL, CMA CGM and the New World Alliance as Vietnam’s profile in international trade has expanded sharply despite the global economic downturn.

MOL this fall won approval for a new terminal venture in the country and Korean Air recently added 747-400 freighter service to Hanoi.

The three Grand Alliance partners will deploy 10 ships with an average capacity of 5,500 TEUs apiece on the AEX service, which currently served by nine vessels of 5,500 TEUs.

When it starts calling at Cai Mep, the port rotation of the AEX service will be: Cai Mep, Laem Chabang, Singapore, Colombo, Cagliari, Halifax, New York, Savannah, Norfolk, New York, Halifax, Cagliari, Jeddah, Colombo, Singapore, and Cai Mep.