Further strengthening their commitment to the Australasia trade, USL and ANL's joint service will turn their ships Northbound from Australia and New Zealand. The alliance will no longer operate the present 'Triangle Service' around the Pacific Rim, but instead will initiate a dedicated North/South service from Oakland/Los Angeles to/from Australia/New Zealand. This initiative will significantly improve northbound transit times from Australia, and for the first time will offer a competitive alternative for exporters from New Zealand to the US West Coast.
The reconfigured service commences with the February 2, 2008 departure of the Eagle 2 from Melbourne. The new vessel rotation includes: Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane-Tauranga/Auckland-Oakland-Long Beach.
Southbound transit times, departure/arrival dates, and cutoff times will remain the same.
An added benefit of the new North/South service will be the emergence of an additional weekly Eastbound Trans-Tasman call, bolstering the scope of services currently offered in the Trans-Tasman trade. The Eastbound service also commences with the February 2nd sailing of the Eagle 2 from Melbourne. Trade between Australia and New Zealand is robust and both ANL and USL's customers will benefit from an extensive array of varied options to serve their needs.
As a result of the initiation of the North/South service, USL and ANL will transfer their trans-Pacific volumes aboard CMA-CGM's Pearl River Express service effective mid-February. Customers will benefit from a highly competitive 12-day transit from South China to Los Angeles. The Pearl River Express provides fixed-day, weekly sailings from Xiamen, Chiwan, Hong Kong, and Yantian, direct to Long Beach and Oakland.
