A transpacific shipping route that links Asia and the US is adding weekly Port of Oakland stops, starting in November. Oakland is becoming the sixth stop in the service operated by three Asian shipping lines, the port revealed Sept. 13.
Seven ships from the three ocean carriers are deployed on the service, with each having the capacity to carry between 8,000 and 9,000 twenty-foot containers. The vessels will make weekly calls at the port’s Oakland International Container Terminal starting Nov. 6.
The service, known as the Calco-C, connects ports in Vietnam, China and California. It’s expected to bring an additional 50 vessel arrivals to Oakland annually and that, according to the port, could increase its cargo volume by as much as 30,000 20-foot-containers a year.
The port handled the equivalent of 2.28 million 20-foot containers last year.
“We’re pleased to be joining this service,” Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll said. “It’s testament to the vibrant market we serve, and strengthens our role as a key gateway in the transpacific container trade.”
The port said the service gives shippers more opportunity to import finished Asian goods, such as apparel and consumer electronics, and that exporters can gain new routes to Asia for commodities, such as California agricultural products.
Other ports in the Calco-C service include Cai Mep in Vietnam; Xiamen, Yantian and Nansha in China; and the Port of Long Beach. The service is operated by Tokyo-based “K” Line; Wan Hai Lines of Taiwan; and Singapore’s Pacific International Lines.
