APL has launched its weekly Chu Lai Haiphong Express service with the maiden direct call of the 1,200 TEU APL Chu Lai at the Chu Lai Tam Hiep Port.

The first CHX service delivered an inbound shipment of automobile components from Japan transhipped via Shekou. The cargo was destined for Truong Hai Automobile Joint-Stock Company, the newly opened Mazda-owned plant situated in the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone.

“We are excited to be opening a direct sea route to Chu Lai in Central Vietnam via the APL Chu Lai Haiphong Express service,” said Indika Dassanayake, global commercial head of APL. “Besides transporting materials and parts for the assembly plant for Mazda cars in Chu Lai, this service is dedicated to serving Chu Lai’s emerging industrial zones in Quang Nam and her neighbouring Central Coast and Central Highlands provinces. Exporters and importers are now able to leverage the service to gain immediate access to China and Hong Kong, benefit from more competitive transit times and reduce related logistics and transportation costs.”

The namesake vessel deployed on the CHX service will call at the ports of Chu Lai, Haiphong, Hong Kong and Shekou every week. Inbound shipments from Hong Kong and Shekou to Chu Lai will take three and two days respectively. Outbound shipments from Chu Lai will arrive in Hong Kong and Shekou in four days. Intra-Asia transhipment connections are available to markets such as Japan, Korea and Singapore, as well as further destinations such as North America, the Middle East and Europe.

APL offers 20 services that serve the major ports of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Haiphong, Da Nang and now Quang Nam.

“Vietnam is one of the Asian economies that is most open to international trade,” said Dassanayake. “As a global carrier, we seek to provide market linkages through our services at non-traditional seaports such as the Chu Lai port, as they are increasingly being developed to accommodate direct international maritime routes.”