EVERGREEN ADDS FIFTH TRANSPACIFIC SERVICE

   Evergreen previously operated four weekly transpacific services — round-the-world eastbound and westbound; Pacific/Far East/Mediterranean;
Taiwan/Hong Kong/U.S. West Coast; and Hong Kong/Taiwan U.S. West Coast.

   By June, there will be five — round-the-world eastbound and westbound; Korea/Japan/U.S. West Coast; Trans-Pacific Northwest; Trans-Pacific
Southwest; and Hong Kong/Taiwan/U.S. West Coast.

   The restructuring of the services by the Taiwanese carrier includes the launch of a "Trans-Pacific Southwest" loop, with five of its new "U-class" 5,364-TEU ships, and a "Trans-Pacific Northwest" link, using three vessels of 5,364-TEU and two of 4,221-TEU ships.

   The TPN service effectively replaces the former Pacific/Far East/Mediterranean link, but iw will have bigger ships, for a net increase of 1,662 TEUs per sailing, or 86,400 TEUs a year, Evergreen said.

   The TPS loop will call at Yantian, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Los Angeles, Oakland, Tokyo, Osaka and Yantian.

   The port rotation of the TPN service will be Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Tacoma, Vancouver, B.C., Tacoma, Tokyo, Osaka, Kaohsiung.

   The Korea/Japan/U.S. West Coast is new and will use five 1,810-TEU ships on a weekly service, but it will pick up two Japanese ports — Hakata and
Shimizu — now covered by the eastbound round-the-world service.

   By dropping those Japanese ports and Jeddah, Evergreen will cut the round-the-world rotation from 77 days to 70 and eliminate one of the
service’s eleven 4,229-TEU ships.