China-based container line makes first call at Pier J
The first call of new ocean carrier P O Shipping’s vessel Suzhou Dragon to the Port of Long Beach marked the beginning of new trans-Pacific Ocean containership service between Long Beach and ports in China.

A state-owned carrier founded in 2009 with the backing of the Hainan Province government in southern China, P O Shipping has established a network of services including China to Australia and Vietnam, as well as several domestic connecting services.

“The ‘CAE Express’ connecting central and north China to Long Beach and select intermodal gateways is the next step in the development of P O Shipping’s commitment to meeting the growing needs of the market and our customer base,” said K.K. Chan, President of P O Shipping USA.

The start of the new service underscores the continued resurgence of the international shipping industry and the ongoing demand for berths at the Port of Long Beach, the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, said Richard D. Steinke, the Port’s Executive Director.

“We’re delighted that P O Shipping, as a new ocean carrier, has chosen Long Beach as its gateway to the United States,” Steinke said.

P O Shipping’s new regular weekly service will call at Pier J’s Pacific Container Terminal with five containerships. The vessels range in capacity from 2,700 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) to 3,500 TEUs. The first ship, Suzhou Dragon, is 2,825 TEUs. And the “P O” stands for “pan ocean.”

The new service will add another 150,000 TEUs of capacity per year through Long Beach.