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Liverpool wins first Far East liner service

[ May 5, 2021   //   ]

DKT Allseas’ ‘congestion busting’ one-off container services from Shanghai and Ningbo to Liverpool are to be extended into a regular liner operation, the first such service from the Far East into the north of England port.

Following the success of its sailings from Shanghai and Ningbo to Liverpool, DKT Allseas (part of Allseas Global Logistics) says it will operate further services “in response to overwhelming demand”.

The first additional service has been scheduled for early May 2021 and the plan is to continue operating a regular call in the future. Allseas added that its first three sailings will be operated at full capacity, from the Far East direct to Liverpool.

DKT Allseas launched its initiative in early April to provide relief to customers facing increased ocean freight rates, as well as reduced reliability, as a result of knock-on effects relating to the global pandemic.

Allseas Global Logistics managing director Darren Wright said: “Our first three sailings were completely sold out in short order and we have now fixed an additional three sailings and looking to introduce further services over the next few months, working towards a longer term frequent Far East service for our customers.”

He added that focusing on single ports of loading and discharge offered a more robust solution, especially for time sensitive goods.

He also suggested that the service could attract traffic from the new rail services that have operated from China to Europe as well as from established all-water liner operators. He said: “Our aim is to fix longer term vessel contracts and close the transit gap to give rail freight a run for its money but at a much more cost effective proposition.”

Owner and operator of Port of Liverpool, Peel Ports, which has invested in a multi-million deep water container terminal, said it was well positioned as a viable call for Far East services and other deep-sea lines. Managing director, David Huck, said: “The success of the Allseas services shows there is demand for a direct China to Liverpool service. We’ve worked closely with Allseas over the last few months to provide a gateway from the Far East direct into the heart of the UK’s cargo owning community.

“We’ve even been able to use our networks to introduce them to new customers who have previously expressed a desire to switch cargo to direct call services to Liverpool due to the reliability, resilience and cost benefits offered to their wider supply chain.”

He added that while the Allseas service would use smaller vessels, “our continued investment into our Liverpool2 deep-water container terminal also means we can handle some of the world’s largest vessels and facilitate deep sea routes, strengthening our position as a viable call for Far East trade.”

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