Ocean Carriers Tap into Surging Asia-to-Mexico Trade
A novel sea route from Cosco Shipping Lines has commenced operations, marking the beginning of several global ocean carriers' initiatives to cater to the burgeoning Asia-to-Mexico trade.
In addition to Cosco, esteemed ocean carriers such as Mediterranean Shipping Co. and CMA CGM have introduced services aimed at capitalizing on escalating container volumes and the escalating investments in Mexico by Chinese enterprises.
Cosco Shipping Lines, along with its subsidiary OOCL, has rolled out the Transpacific Latin Pacific 5 (TLP5) line, facilitating direct connections between China, South Korea, Japan, and Mexico.
In a recent news release, OOCL expressed its enthusiasm for enhancing network coverage in emerging markets through the introduction of the TLP5 service, aiming to offer comprehensive port coverage across the regions.
The TLP5 service boasts transit times ranging from 15 to 20 days from Qingdao, China, to the ports of Ensenada and Manzanillo, Mexico. Utilizing eight vessels with capacities ranging from 4,000 to 6,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, TLP5 commenced its journey with the 5,668-TEU vessel Xin Da Lian from Ningbo, China.
The port rotation for TLP5 encompasses Busan, South Korea; Dalian, China; Ningbo; Shanghai; Qingdao; Ensenada; Manzanillo; Ensenada; Yokohama, Japan; before returning to Busan.
In tandem, French carrier CMA CGM is poised to inaugurate the M2X – Mexico Express Service, connecting China, South Korea, and Japan to Mexico's ports of Manzanillo and Lazaro Cardenas.
Designed to streamline shipments from the Far East to Mexico's West Coast, the M2X – Mexico Express will operate on a weekly fixed-day basis, deploying eight ships with undisclosed capacities. Its port rotation includes Tianjin, China; Qingdao; Busan; Ensenada; Manzanillo; Lazaro Cardenas; Yokohama; Busan; and Tianjin.
Similarly, MSC is set to launch a loop shuttle service commencing May 15, connecting Asia to Mexico. The inaugural voyage of MSC's new loop shuttle service will witness the MSC Apollo setting sail from the Port of Qingdao.
With a port rotation encompassing Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas, and Qingdao, MSC aims to provide additional coverage and frequency between Asia and Mexico.
The surge in import container bookings from China to Mexico, alongside the noteworthy increase in Chinese direct investments in Mexico, underscores the significance of these new ocean container services. While the exact drivers behind this surge remain debatable, factors such as nearshoring of manufacturing to Mexico and ongoing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China have been speculated as potential reasons for the increased shipments from China to Mexico.
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