APL has launched the Asia Australia Express 2 service, a new weekly connection between the Southeast Asian ports of Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia with the major Australian cities of Brisbane and Sydney.

According to APL, the AAX2 service will be the only service in the market with a direct call from Ho Chi Minh to Australia.

The service will have the following port rotation: Ho Chi Minh – Port Klang – Singapore – Jakarta – Brisbane – Sydney – Port Klang – Ho Chi Minh.

The first sailing will depart from Ho Chi Minh on March 15, 2019.

Transit time from Ho Chi Minh will be 16 days to Brisbane and 18 days to Sydney. From Jakarta, transit time will be 10 days to Brisbane and 12 days to Sydney.

The port calls at the transhipment hubs of Singapore and Port Klang will also offer shippers access to wider connection options, according to APL.