HMM, 26th Temporary Vessel Departure..."Best Effort for Small and Medium Shippers' Cargo"

The 7000 TEU-class container ship 'HMM Jakarta' is loading cargo from domestic export companies at Busan New Port HPNT.

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] HMM announced on the 14th that it has deployed one temporary vessel for the Americas route to support the smooth export activities of domestic companies.

The 7,000 TEU container ship HMM Jakarta, which departed from Busan New Port HPNT (HMM Busan New Port Terminal), left Busan on the 13th carrying cargo from domestic export companies and is scheduled to arrive at Long Beach and Tacoma ports on the North American West Coast on the 26th of this month and the 10th of next month, respectively.

HMM Jakarta loaded a total of 6,000 TEU of cargo, with more than 60% of the 3,707 TEU of domestic volume being shipped by small and medium-sized shippers.

Currently, it is almost impossible to secure additional container ships in the vessel charter market, so HMM is mobilizing vessels operating on other routes as temporary vessels to alleviate difficulties faced by domestic export companies.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, maritime cargo volume, which had contracted in the first half of last year, surged from the second half, leading to a shortage of space on the Americas route. This situation has continued until recently, causing domestic exporters to struggle with securing shipping space.

Previously, since August last year, HMM has continuously deployed temporary vessels 15 times on the US West Coast, 5 times on the US East Coast (Busan~Savannah, Busan~New York), 3 times to Russia, 2 times to Europe, and once to Vietnam.

An HMM official stated, “The continuous deployment of temporary vessels is expected to greatly help domestic shippers who are experiencing difficulties in exports,” adding, “As a leading national shipping company, we will take responsibility and make every effort to ensure that export companies’ cargo is transported safely and without disruption.”