IN a move to cater to rising demand from Southeast Asian countries, the intra-Asia units of Maersk Line and CMA CGM have fine-tuned their services to the Philippines.

The Danish shipping giant's Sealand Asia has launched the IA-80 service to replace its IA-18 service to achieve a three-week turnaround, instead of five weeks.

The IA-80 starts on September 17, 2020 and will call at Yantian, Hong Kong, Sihanoukville, Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai), Batangas, Manila, Xiamen, Taichung and Yantian. Calls to Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Haiphong, and Cebu, which were done under IA-18, will be dropped. The 1,118 TEU MCC Andalas will be deployed to the IA-80 service.

Sealand Asia's move mirrors that of CMA CGM's Taiwan-based intra-Asia unit, Cheng Lie Navigation (CNC Line), which launched its CSECP2 service in August, also offering connections between Bangkok, Batangas and Manila.

CNC Line has begun offering a service between Taiwan, South China and the Philippines, joining SITC Container Lines in buying slots on Wan Hai Lines' Subic Bay Express (SES) service, although the company will market this service as the Batangas Cebu Express (BCX).

CNC Line's participation in the SES service began on September 13, with the operator shipping cargoes on the 1,368 TEU Wan Hai 213.

While the SES service's full rotation covers Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shekou, Manila, Batangas, Cebu and Taipei, CNC Line will not participate in the Manila and Taipei calls.

CNC Line stated that BCX will offer shippers a direct connection between Kaohsiung and the Philippine ports of Cebu and Batangas, enhancing transshipment opportunities with the CMA CGM Group's global network via Kaohsiung, Hong Kong and Shekou, reports London's Container News.