Singapore's Swire Shipping has introduced the Pacific Weekly Express (PWX) service, a new fixed-day weekly service that connects South-East Asia, Europe, India, and the Middle East with Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands.
The operator of liner shipping services in the Asia Pacific said the new service operates on a seven-day frequency to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and Fiji, with connections in Fiji and Nouméa to the Pacific Islands of Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, American Samoa, and Tahiti.
Swire said PWX combines and expands two existing services – superseding the existing Southeast Asia (SEA) and East Southeast Asia (ESEA) services – offering greater frequency, predictability, and speed.
It noted that the new service underlines Swire Shipping's commitment to connecting the communities of the Pacific, doubling frequency to the ports of Lae, Motukea, Nouméa, Suva, and Honiara.
"As a partner of choice to many, we believe it is our duty to support our customers' supply chains with best-in-class liner services. With this in mind, we are pleased to introduce a significant upgrade to our network by including more fixed-day weekly and fixed-day fortnightly products in our key markets," said Ben Pike, chief operating officer for Swire Shipping.
"The PWX service will bring significant value to our customers immediately and help to support communities and trade in the region," Pike added.
PWX service enhances supply chain planning
With a weekly frequency, Swire said its customers in the Pacific will now be able to optimise their supply chains and reduce risk.
The predictability and reliability of the weekly service will also enable them to reduce inventories, lower holding costs, and improve stock management while reducing supply chain risk and the possibility of stock outs.
"Customers will be able to standardise and repeat processes at both origin and destination locations, making it easier to plan their supply chains. They will also benefit from shorter waiting times and fewer vessel clashes in ports with better on-time performance," the shipping line said.
The PWX service will also improve network services in the Pacific.
Swire said the introduction of the PWX service enables Swire Shipping to upgrade its Papua New Guinea (PNG) Service (serving Australia to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands) to a fixed-day fortnightly service.
This complements existing fixed-day fortnightly products on the Australia-Pacific Islands (PIS) Service and North Asia Express (NAX) Service (serving North Asia to Papua New Guinea and Townsville, Australia).
"Swire Shipping's integrated logistics division will support the network of services in the Pacific by providing first-mile and last-mile logistics services, facilitating a seamless process," the merchant shipping company based in Singapore added.
