The new Americas Europe Express service will connect Charleston to Northern Europe through direct calls at Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and Felixstowe, as well as Latin America through the transshipment hub of Manzanillo, Panama. The double call in Charleston adds 104 vessel calls a year for the local maritime community.
Participating in the Americas Europe Express service are the alliance carriers of APL, operating three vessels, and Hyundai Merchant Marine and Mitsui OSK Lines, operating one vessel apiece.
Significantly, Charleston is one of only two U.S. ports - and the only port in the region - selected for the new service.
"Double calls in Charleston will enable the New World Alliance's network of customers ample coverage across the U.S. Southeast and beyond," said Paul McClintock, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for the South Carolina Ports Authority. "This also provides the region's exporters additional reach to markets in Latin America and Europe where there is demand."
The first vessels on the service will call Charleston in early March with calls by the APL Shanghai, sailing westbound from Rotterdam on February 29, and the APL Indonesia, sailing eastbound from Manzanillo on March 5.
