APL's Direct Service to Chu Lai
APL announced that APL Chu Lai, a 1,200-TEU vessel, has made her maiden direct call at the Chu Lai Tam Hiep Port on 24 March. This officially commences APL’s new weekly Chu Lai Haiphong Express (CHX) service that is delivering its first inbound shipment of automobile components from Japan trans-shipped via Shekou. The cargo has duly arrived for the newly-opened Truong Hai Automobile Joint-Stock company (THACO) – Mazda owned plant situated in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone.
Speaking at an event graced by Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, APL Global Commercial Head, Indika Dassanayake said, “We are excited to be opening a direct sea route to Chu Lai in Central Vietnam via the APL Chu Lai Haiphong Express service. Besides transporting materials and parts for the assembly plant for Mazda cars in Chu Lai, this service is dedicated to serving Chu Lai’s emerging industrial zones in Quang Nam and her neighbouring Central Coast and Central Highlands provinces. Exporters and importers are now able to leverage the service to gain immediate access to China and Hong Kong, benefit from more competitive transit times and reduce related logistics and transportation costs.”
Each week, the namesake vessel deployed on the CHX service will call the ports of Chu Lai, Haiphong, Hong Kong and Shekou (China). Inbound shipments from Hong Kong and Shekou to Chu Lai will take three and two days respectively. Outbound shipments from Chu Lai will arrive in Hong Kong and Shekou in four days. From the two trans-shipment hubs, shippers can expect to be connected to more Intra-Asia markets such as Japan, Korea and Singapore; as well as farther destinations such as North America, the Middle East and Europe among others via APL’s extensive global network.
Today, APL offers 20 services that call the major ports of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Haiphong, Da Nang and now Quang Nam. The carrier is focused on enhancing its services to Vietnam as the country diversifies her industrial zones to Central Vietnam where the transportation and logistics infrastructure have been increasingly developed.
Dassanayake added, “Vietnam is one of the Asian economies that is most open to international trade. As a global carrier, we seek to provide market linkages through our services at non-traditional seaports such as the Chu Lai port, as they are increasingly being developed to accommodate direct international maritime routes.”
