LOS ANGELES WELCOMES THE CONTAINERSHIP COMPANY'S NEW PORT-TO-PORT LOCAL CARGO SERVICE BETWEEN MODERN TERMINALS IN TAICANG, CHINA AND TRAPAC AT PORT OF L.A.
Mayor Villaraigosa Welcomes New Shipping Line to Trans-Pacific Market
San Pedro, Calif. — March 12, 2010 — The Containership Company (TCC), a new Norwegian-based container line has selected TraPac Container Terminal at the Port of Los Angeles as its U.S. west coast gateway.
“Los Angeles welcomes The Containership Company to our Port and our City,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “As the newest entrant in the Trans-Pacific cargo trade, TCC will give local businesses another option for importing and exporting goods and materials to the major inland industrial and manufacturing center northwest of Shanghai. Congratulations to TCC, the TraPac container terminal and Port officials for bringing this service to Los Angeles.”
TCC will operate a weekly service between Los Angeles and the Modern Terminals facility at the Port of Taicang, in the Jiangsu province of China. Starting in April, The Containership Company will offer “no frills” service for importers and exporters seeking a cargo link between Southern California and Taicang, a thriving manufacturing center approximately 40 miles northwest of Shanghai.
“We are thrilled to work with the Port of Los Angeles and TraPac to bring this new service to Southern California businesses,” said Jakob Tolstrup-Møller, The Containership Company’s Chief Executive Officer. “This will be a no-frills port-to-port service that we hope will appeal to shippers looking for a new partner and a more direct link to the vast inland manufacturing base of the Jiangsu province .”
The first vessel, the Taicang Dragon, will sail from Taicang Port on April 17th and arrive at the Port of Los Angeles on May 3rd. The ship, along with others that will rotate into the service, has the capacity to carry between 2,500 and 3,000 Twenty-Foot Equivalent (20-foot containers or “TEUs”). TCC executives believe their new service could generate 250,000 TEUs annually between L.A. and Taicang. Right now, goods manufactured in the Taicang area, or points further inland, must be transported by truck or vessel to Shanghai a major trans-shipment hub for goods and materials flowing into and out of China.
“We are pleased that The Containership Company chose TraPac and the Port of Los Angeles as its business partners,” said Frank Pisano, Executive Vice-President and head of TraPac’s operations. “We look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with TCC.”
“This year has started off on an encouraging note in terms of our container volumes, and it’s equally encouraging to see a container line entering into the market with the knowledge base and focus that TCC has,” added Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “We are glad TCC chose L.A. as their west coast gateway and we hope this is a sign of good things to come in terms of market recovery and broader trade opportunities for both importers and exporters.”
The Containership Company AS (TCC) is a Norwegian-registered container line managed from Copenhagen with operations in Europe, Asia and the United States. TCC’s management team has an average of more than 25 years in international container trade. The line’s container equipment fleet and flow is outsourced to Eagle Hill Container Management. Norton Lilly International is TCC’s global agency.
Founded in 1985, TraPac opened its current operations at the Port of Los Angeles in 1987. TraPac’s parent company, MOL, has 125 years experience in the shipping industry since 1884. Its business relationship with the USA dates back to 1909, when it opened the Hong Kong/Tacoma service with the TACOMA MARU. MOL currently operates a fleet of approximately 860 vessels, which includes container ships, dry bulk carriers, tankers, LNG vessels and car carriers. TraPac is currently in the midst of a major expansion project at the Port of Los Angeles that will deepen the waterside at Berths 144-147, upgrade approximately 50 additional acres of existing land to modern container handling backland standards and construct a new on-dock rail facility.
The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars.
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