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INTRA-ASIA
container trades have been drawing ocean
liners due to the availability of cheap
charter vessels and economies of scale between
China and Southeast Asia, according to Florida's
Maritime Executive magazine.
Financially
troubled shipping lines are increasingly
seeking salvation in the intra-Asia market
due to higher than usual cargo growth and
the availability of cheap vessel charter
rates, it said.
Some
deployments include Maersk-owned MCC Transport
and NYK's weekly Japan-China-Thailand service,
which calls at Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya,
Kobe, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Shekou, Laem Chabang,
Xiamen and Tokyo.
Launched
at the end of March, it deploys three 5,000-TEU
ships.
NYK,
"K" Line and Hapag-Lloyd's Japan-Southeast
Asia service calling at Tokyo, Yokohama,
Nagoya, Kobe, Singapore, Jakarta, Singapore,
Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo, is operated
by four 4,200-TEU vessels.
Cosco
has joined PIL, Yang Ming, Wan Hai Line's
service calling at Xingang, Dalian, Shanghai,
Fuzhou, Hong Kong, Singapore, Port Klang,
Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong and Xingang.
The service deploys four vessels averaging
4,300 TEU.
"But
measuring the way that intra-Asia routes
have been growing is difficult, as there
are many different trade lanes, and no central
data source. Moreover, there are many routes
served by shuttle services deploying vessels
no bigger than 500 TEU because of draught
restrictions," said the article.
There
is also much trade within countries, such
as China, as well as between countries,
and deep-sea transshipment cargo.
Maersk's
recently introduced Southeast Asia-China
service deploying three 4,000-TEU ships
and calling at Xingang, Qingdao, Ningbo,
Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore and
Xingang, is a good example of the latter.
According
to the Intra Asia Discussion Agreement (IADA),
its member lines shipped 7.2 million TEU
in 2013, nine per cent more than in 2012.
That is more cargo than was shipped between
Europe and North America in 2013 with 6.7
million TEU.
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