China United Lines (CUL) and Interasia Lines (IAL) will launch a new South China –Vietnam–Thailand service, marketed respectively as the SCT2 and SVT from 14 March 2024. The SCT2/SVT will call at Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Nansha, Chiwan, Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai), Bangkok. The service will turn in 2 weeks and deploy the 1,756 teu INTERASIA VISION and a second vessel to be operated by CUL.
China United Lines have introduced a new Red Sea Service (REX) to connect China and Jeddah amidst the on-going Red Sea crisis that has seen a reduction in the number of ships able to serve the Red Sea region. The REX service calls at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Jeddah, Qingdao with a single 2,786 teu ship (CUL MANILA) deployed since 28 December 2023. The service turns in around 30 to 35 days on a monthly frequency.
The Vietnam Gulf India/RCL Gulf Asean/Vietnam Gulf Express/Saigon Gulf Service (VGI/RGA/VGX/SGS) service jointly operated by ESL, KMTC, RCL, CU Lines and Global Feeder Shipping will be upgraded from the 2,500 teu scale to 5,500 teu starting from September 2023, with CMA CGM joining as the 6th partner in the service who brands it as the Vietnam Gulf India (VGI) service. The service was first launched in January 2022 using up to 5 ships of 2,000-2,700 teu and called initially at Ho Chi Minh City,
China United Lines (CUL) Chairman and CEO Raymond Chen Honghui has appeared in public for the first time since June at an internal meeting on 8 August 2023 in Shanghai. However, former co-CEO Lar Christiansen has left the post earlier this year, less than 18 months after he was appointed on 18 November 2021. The company confirmed the suspension of its European and North American services in 2023, and have shifted its focus on its China-Taiwan, South East Asia and Indian Subcontinent/Middle East
CU Lines’ global expansion plans have been derailed with the withdrawal of its last 2 ships on the Asia-Med and Asia-USWC routes. CUL’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) bid first launched in January 2022 has already been withdrawn, and its goal of operating a fleet of 45 ships for 160,000 teu by 2025 will not be achieved with its current operated fleet shrinking by 67% from its peak in 2022 to just 30,700 teu currently. CUL has a remaining orderbook of 6 ships with a total capacity of 24,200 teu in
CU Lines have made its last voyages on the Asia-Europe and Transpacific routes, ending its brief foray into the main East-West routes and will henceforth refocus on its core intra-Asia and Far East-India Subconinent & Middle East routes. The move will effectively terminate its planned Initial Public Offering (IPO) that was launched in Hong Kong on January 2022. The last Asia-Europe sailing was made by the 1,912 teu ZHONG GU NAN HAI on its Asia-East Mediterranean (AEM) service that called at Amb
RCL and CUL have added a new call at Sihanoukville on their jointly operated RBC1/BC1 (RCL Bangkok China 1/China-Thailand Service 1) service. The revised rotation of the RBC1/BC1 will be Ningbo, Shanghai, Sihanoukville, Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ningbo starting from 10 August 2023. The service turns in 3 weeks, and currently deploys 2 ships of 1,200-1,500 from RCL and one 1,930 teu ship from CUL.
Evergreen has teamed up with PIL, CUL and RCL to launch a new China-India service that will call Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Port Klang Westport, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Karachi, Port Klang Westport, Singapore, Haiphong, Shanghai using 6 ships of 2,700-5,400 teu on a 42-days round trip. The service will be branded as the China-India Express 4 (CIX4) by Evergreen, China-Subcontinent Express (CSE) by PIL, China India III (CIS) by CUL and RCL China West Asia (RWA) by RCL. The service will
China United Lines (CUL) will suspend its Transpacific Express II/South China-West US (TPC) service connecting Nansha, Yantian, Los Angeles, Nansha from June 2023 The TPC service is currently operated with 5 ships of 1,700-2,500 teu, and is currently the smallest service on the transpacific trade. It follows the earlier departure of micro carriers from the transpacific trade including CIMC, Jinjiang Shipping, BAL, TS Lines, Transfar, SeaLead and Pasha. The only remaining micro carrier on the Fa
ASEAN Seas Line (ASL), China United Lines (CUL) and Pacific International Lines (PIL) have teamed up to launch a new jointly operated Intra-Asia service calling at Shekou, Nansha, Xiamen, Manila North, Subic Bay, Xiamen, Shekou, Nansha, Ho Chi Minh City, Shekou. The new service is branded respectively by ASL, CUL and PIL as the South China Vietnam Philippines service (SVP), South China Philippines Service (SP1) and China Philippines Vietnam (CPV). It turns in 3 weeks using 3 ships of 1,000-1,2