A NEW container service between the Far East, North America and Europe will be launched in April by Hapag Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Neptune Orient Lines (NOL).
The fixed-day weekly service - to be known as the Pacific Atlantic Express (PAX) - will utilise 12 vessels of 2,600 to 2,900 20 ft equivalent unit (TEU) capacity under a vessel and space sharing agreement between the three lines.
The vessels to be deployed in the service are NYK's Cape Charles, Cape May, Cape Henry, Astro Prosperity and Kurama; Hapag Lloyd's Duesseldory Express, Koeln Express, Nuernberg Express, Bonn Express, Heidelberg Express and another to be announced; and NOL also is to announce its vessel contribution.
The PAX eastbound service will call at Hongkong, Kaohsiung, Kobe, Nagoya, Tokyo or Yokohama, Oakland, Los Angeles, Savannah, Norfolk, New York, Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam and Thamesport.
The PAX westbound service will call at Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Thamesport, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Los Angeles, Oakland, Tokyo or Yokohama, Kobe and Hongkong.
Cargoes westbound to Kaohsiung will be discharged during eastbound calls, and westbound to Nagoya through transshipment.
According to a NOL statement, the PAX service is the line's sixth express service to offer services from the Far East to the US east and west coasts and transatlantic services from both coasts of the US to North Europe.