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APL to Launch Fast China-Australia Service
Singapore, Oakland CA, London, 16 Apr 2004 - Leading global container carrier, APL, is set to launch one of the industry's fastest direct services between China and Australia. From May 17, 2004, the Australia-China Express (ACX) will provide weekly sailings between North and South China, Taiwan and the major east coast ports of Australia. APL has been providing container transportation services to Australia for more than three decades, and to China since 1867. Two-way trade is flourishing between Australia and China; in 2003, China's containerised exports to Australia grew by 25% and Australia to China trade rose year-on-year by almost 20%. Importantly, the ACX will provide direct calls at Shanghai and Chiwan, providing customers with quick and easy access to the Yangtze and Pearl river deltas, which are among the world's fastest-growing manufacturing regions and central to many companies' sourcing strategies. APL Vice President for Intra-Asia-Middle East and Australia Trades, Eng Aik Meng, said, "The launch of the ACX has been driven by customer demand in this fast-growing trade. Aided by the strong Australian dollar, the domestic demand for China-made products is unprecedented. On the other hand, China's need for Australia's raw materials to fuel its booming manufacturing sector is increasing rapidly." To this end, by routing through Hong Kong, the ACX will also significantly improve transit times from Japan and South Korea, which are two of Australia's largest trading partners. In addition, the service will provide more connections from Australia to APL's global service network via Kaohsiung, thereby providing customers with highly competitive transit times to the rest of the world. The ACX will deploy five vessels each with a capacity of 1,500 TEU. The port rotation is Shanghai, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Kaohsiung and Shanghai. For more information on the service visit www.apl.com About APL Media Enquiries: |
