Securing Major Pacific and Indian Ocean Routes
Strengthening the Global Network
As the HMM acquisition battle officially begins, the HMM headquarters located in Park One Tower, Yeouido. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@
HMM is re-entering the transatlantic route connecting Europe and the Americas after 7 years. It is also newly entering the India-Europe route to strengthen services in the Indian region.
On the 17th, HMM announced that it will launch new container services on the transatlantic and India-Europe routes starting February next year.
The 'TA1' route, which crosses the Atlantic Ocean connecting Europe and the Americas, is a route HMM is re-entering after ending service in 2018, marking a return after 7 years. Although it is a major deep-sea route, Korean shipping companies have found it difficult to enter until now. By resuming this route, HMM will be able to provide services on all major east-west routes including the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This is evaluated as securing a network that meets the diverse demands of customers worldwide.
The TA1 service will deploy 10 container ships with a capacity of 4,600 TEU each, taking a total round trip of 70 days. It is scheduled to start from Southampton, UK, in February next year. The ports of call are Southampton (UK), Le Havre (France), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), Miami (USA), Cartagena (Colombia), Panama Canal, Rodman (Panama), LA/Long Beach (USA), Oakland (USA), Rodman (Panama), Panama Canal, Caucedo (Dominican Republic), and Southampton (UK) in order.
Additionally, to target the rapidly growing Indian market, the INX service connecting India and Northern Europe will also be newly launched. It plans to strengthen services in the Indian region by linking with existing services centered on India such as FIM (India-Mediterranean) and IAX (India-North America East Coast).
The first departure will be from Karachi Port, Pakistan, starting February next year. Eleven container ships with a capacity of 6,000 TEU each will be deployed, taking 77 days for a round trip. The ports of call are Karachi (Pakistan), Hazira (India), Mundra (India), Nhava Sheva (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), London Gateway (UK), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), and Karachi (Pakistan) in order.
An HMM official said, "The launch of these new services will further strengthen our network competitiveness," adding, "We will continue to pursue new market entries based on our 2030 mid-to-long-term strategy."
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