Maersk's new Vietnam-US connection shaves one day off transit time

MAERSK Line is launching a Vietnam-US west coast transhipment service starting September 16, according to the Paris-based agency Alphaliner.

Maersk calls the service the Pacific Express Service (PES), and it will offer a 17-day transit time from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles, a day less than the current connection.

The transit time improvement was achieved by moving the feeder sailing one day later at Ho Chi Minh City.

Maersk's move contrasts with recent steps by rival APL-MOL (New World Alliance partners) and Hanjin-K Line (CKYH partners), which now offer direct Vietnam-US connections through the newly opened deep water terminals at Cai Mep, near Ho Chi Minh City.

Despite the improved reliability, these services are not able to offer faster transit times because of the additional port calls served between Vietnam and the US, as well as the earlier cut-off times imposed due to the need to barge containers from Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Mep.

(Source: www.schednet.com)