OOCL expands popular route

Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) and Wan Hai Lines will launch a new joint service to the Middle East from April 1.

The new South Korea-Middle East service will ply between South Korea, via Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and the Middle East and Pakistan.

'The new service will offer the industry's best transit times in some other intra-Asia corridors including South Korea to Keelung, Singapore and Port Kelang,' said Stephen Ng, OOCL's director for intra-Asia trade.

Transit times between Pusan and Dubai will be 16 days, Dammam 18 days, Bandar Abbas 20 days, Inchon to Dubai 18 days, Kwangyang to Dubai 17 days and to Dammam 19 days.

The joint service will be operated with six 1,200 teu (20 ft equivalent unit) vessels with speeds of 21.5 knots. A round trip will take 42 days.

The port rotation will include Inchon, Kwangyang, Pusan, Keelung, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Kelang, Dubai, Dammam, Bandar Abbas, Karachi, Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Keelung and Inchon.