HMM, 24th Temporary Vessel Departure... "Best Effort to Support Domestic Export Logistics"

by Lee Dongwoo

Published 24 May.2021 10:34(KST)

The 6300 TEU-class container ship 'HMM Auckland' is loading cargo from domestic export companies at the HMM Busan New Port Terminal (HPNT).

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] HMM announced on the 24th that it will deploy one temporary vessel bound for the Americas to support the smooth export of domestic companies.

The 6,300 TEU container ship "HMM Auckland," scheduled to depart from the HMM Busan New Port Terminal at Busan New Port, will carry cargo from domestic export companies and depart Busan on the same day, arriving at the Port of Tacoma and the Port of LA on the 3rd and 8th of next month, respectively.

The "HMM Auckland" loaded a total of 5,500 TEU of cargo, with the majority of the cargo consisting solely of domestic shipments from small and medium-sized shippers.

HMM stated, "Currently, it is almost impossible to secure additional container ships in the charter market, so to alleviate the difficulties faced by domestic export companies, we are deploying vessels operating on other routes as temporary ships."

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, maritime cargo volume, which had contracted in the first half of last year, surged from the second half, causing a shortage of space on the Americas route, and domestic exporters have recently been struggling to secure shipping space.

An HMM official said, "The continuous deployment of temporary vessels is expected to be a great help to domestic shippers experiencing export disruptions," and emphasized, "As a leading national shipping company, we will take responsibility and make every effort to ensure that export companies' cargo is transported safely and without delay."

Meanwhile, since August last year, HMM has continuously deployed temporary vessels 14 times on the West Coast of the Americas (Busan~LA), 4 times on the East Coast of the Americas (Busan~Savannah, Busan~New York), 3 times to Russia, 2 times to Europe, and once to Vietnam.