CSCL extends Asia/Med service

China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) extended its newly launched Asia/Mediterranean service to
include the Asia/US west coast trade from mid-July in order to extract greater potential from
its new transhipment business in Salalah, Oman. A new pendulum service, so named
because it has links to more than one important container market, has been set tip through
a vessel-sharing agreement with Norasia Container Lines, part of the Chilean carrier CSAV
group.
Thirteen container ships will operate the new route, which will include direct
calls at Dalian. Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen and Hong Kong. There will be
eastbound and westbound calls at both Salalah and Port Kelang. No other lines offer direct
services between Salalah and the US west coast and Canada. CSCL and Norasia are
quoting tran-sit times of 31 days between Salalah and Vancouver. and 32 to
Seattle.