Evergreen Line

September 11, 2015 – Evergreen Group has signed an order with Japanese shipbuilder Imabari for ten 2,800 TEU class B-type vessels yesterday.  These are in addition to the order for ten similar vessels announced last month from CSBC in Taiwan.

The latest contract was signed by EMC Chairman Mr. Anchor Chang and Imabari Shipbuilding President Mr. Yukito Higaki. The first ship is planned to be delivered during the first half of 2018 with the completion of the series due by the first half of 2019.  All twenty newbuildings are planned to be deployed in the intra-Asia trade.

Evergreen’s B-type vessels will be 211 meters in length, 32.8 meters wide, and have a design draft of 10 meters with a capacity of around 2,800 TEU. The ships are designed to load 13 rows of containers on deck, which is within the span of existing gantry cranes in the major ports on the intra-Asian trade. The hull design of the vessels is wider in comparison to ships of a similar capacity. Such design enables the ships to navigate in the shallower ports encountered in the intra-Asia trade and to enhance their cargo carrying capability. The ships can cruise at a speed up to 21.8 knots, enhancing their on-time performance and competitiveness.

Vessels operating on regional trades, such as intra-Asia, often sail in coastal areas.  With frequent port calls, these ships operate in close proximity to human activity and the living environment.  To reduce their impact on port communities and eco-systems, Evergreen has imposed stringent eco-friendly criteria on their operation.  The B-type vessels are equipped with various environmental protection devices and the latest technology to safeguard the sustainable development of the marine environment. The ships are also to be equipped with an electronic-controlled fuel injection engine, which meets the IMO Tier II standards for NOx emission and the requirements of Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), and can reduce emissions by around 20% in comparison with vessels of traditional designs.

Founded in 1901, Imabari Shipbuilding is Japan’s largest shipbuilder. The agreement for B-type vessels is the third project in which Imabari will participate in Evergreen Line’s fleet renewal program. Evergreen has signed agreements with Shoei Kisen Kaisha, the ship owning arm of Imabari Shipbuilding Group, to charter five 14,000 TEU containerships to be delivered in 2017 and eleven 18,000 TEU containerships to be delivered in 2018 and 2019.

July 01, 2015 – Evergreen Line has been awarded “Best Global Shipping Line” by Asia Cargo News at the 2015 Asian Freight Logistics and Supply Chain Awards. The accolade was conferred at a ceremony in Hong Kong last week and was accepted on behalf of the carrier by Derek Lo, Executive Vice President of Evergreen Marine (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Over 15,000 readers of Asia Cargo News were asked to select the companies that had consistently demonstrated excellence in customer service, innovation and quality of services provided. The AFLAS Awards have always been voted for by service users, not a panel of judges. This accolade of Best Global Shipping Line is therefore particularly significant as it signifies a vote of confidence in Evergreen’s quality performance from its customers themselves.

“This honour is in recognition of Evergreen Line’s consistent efforts to enhance its services to our customers,” said Mr. Lo. “Customer demand is the foundation of our strategic planning. We closely monitor the developments of the global economy and demands of our customers, adjusting our service network accordingly. Our byword is customer satisfaction.”

Recent challenges presented by port congestion on the US West Coast provide evidence of such efforts. Delays at these ports lasted from the third quarter of last year to the first quarter this year, thus boosting demand for capacity from the Far East to the US East Coast. Limited by the constraints of the Panama Canal, carriers were not able to deploy bigger ships on the traditional route from the Far East to the US east coast.

Last year Evergreen made use of its flexible 8,500 TEU ships to launch a new Asia – US East Coast service via the Suez Canal. These L-class vessels are of the maximum size that can pass under the Bayonne Bridge and call at the pivotal East Coast port of New York. The new service provided a perfect alternative to a delayed land-bridge routing via the congested West Coast ports.

The AFLAS Awards recognize outstanding performance, service innovation and the efforts in environmental protection by transportation service providers around the world. In addition to ocean carriers, the annual survey by Asia Cargo News also covers seaports, container terminals, logistics companies and many other players in the global transportation service chain.

Trieste, 26th May 2015

To offer its customers in the Mediterranean region improved network options Evergreen Line is introducing a new service. In partnership with Arkas Line, the WEM (West – East Med) Service will connect the Aegean Sea, the Near East & the Western Med.

With a port rotation of Valencia, Castellon, Barcelona, Fos, Cagliari, Piraeus, Beirut, Mersin, Iskenderun, Latakia, Alexandria (Dekheila), Izmir, Piraeus and Valencia and on a 28 day schedule, the service will be operated with four vessels, one supplied by Evergreen and three by Arkas.

Crucially the WEM includes a pivotal call at Piraeus, which is a key network hub for Evergreen in the Mediterranean. The line has four weekly, line-haul, Asia-Med-Europe calls at Piraeus. These four services (ADR, MD1, NE2 and NE7) in fact all make double calls at the port for import and export purposes. 

In addition, Evergreen Line will  shortly launch two additional feeder services:  the LEV2 (Levant service 2) linking Piraeus to Mersin, courtesy of a slot exchange agreement reached with Arkas/Emes, offering a quicker link to this important Turkish port, and the PSI (Piraeus-South Italy) shuttle service connecting Piraeus to Bari, in Southern Italy with a very fast transit time.

The opening of PSI represents a new opportunity for Evergreen to serve the Southern Italian market where historically Evergreen has been one of the first carriers to establish a presence and carrying significant volumes of cargo to/from Far East and for the Intra-med market.

In view of with the increasing market demand resulting from significant trade growth between China and the ASEAN countries, Evergreen Line is to partner with COSCO and China Shipping in launching a joint China-Surabaya Express (CSX) Service. This is Evergreen’s latest initiative to enhance its service on the Intra-Asian trade.

The CSX service will employ four ships of 2,000–2,700 teu, including one each provided by Evergreen and CSCL and the remaining two by COSCO. The first sailing is planned to depart from Qingdao on the 20th of May, with the following the port rotation: Qingdao–Shanghai–Xiamen–Shekou–Pasir Gudang (Malysia)–Singapore–Surabaya (Indonesia)–Singapore–Qingdao.

This weekly service covers major ports from China in the north to Malaysia and Indonesia in the south, providing regular and convenient links for regional trade and connecting to Evergreen’s global service network via Singapore.

After the ASEAN–China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) was established in 2010, bilateral trade volumes have continued to rise. According to the statistics published by the Gerneral Administration of Customs in the PRC, its import and export trade with ASEAN grew by 8.3% to $480.4 billion in 2014. In addition, the ASEAN community has actively negotiated with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand to establish the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It is believed that this significant development will further encourage free trade and have the effect of driving cargo growth within the Intra-Asia trade.

May 08, 2015 – In light of the increasing capacity demand, Evergreen Line will launch its new Vietnam-Singapore-Malaysia service (VSM) this month.

The dedicated feeder loop will utilize two A-type containerships of 1,164 TEU.  The first sailing of the weekly service will start from Haiphong on May 10 and call at Ho Chi Minh City, Port Klang, Singapore, Tanjung Pelepas and then back to Haiphong.

In addition to providing efficient transportation services within its port coverage, this regional service will also connect to Evergreen’s global service network via its transhipment hubs in Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas.

Economic forecasts indicate strong momentum of trade growth in this region. According to IMF’s World Economic Outlook report published in April 2015, the ASEAN economy looks set to grow by 5.2% and 5.3% respectively in 2015 and 2016, supassing its performance of 4.6% last year.  Besides, the statistics of Vietnam’s General Statistics Office show that its economic growth reached 6.03% in the first quarter of 2015, the highest first quarter performance during the past five years.  The positive indicators support expectation of steady cargo growth within intra-Asia trade.

April 07, 2015

Improving its service on the India–Gulf trade, Evergreen Line is to partner with Simatech, a leading feeder operator based in Dubai, in launching a joint Chennai–Colombo–Gulf Service (CCG) service next month.   The CCG service will utilize four container ships of around 2,000 TEU each; one to be operated by Evergreen Line and the remaining three by Simatech.  The first sailing of the weekly service will be from Colombo on May 09 and call at Vizag (India), Krishnapatnam (India), Chennai (India), Colombo, Cochin (India), Jebel Ali (UAE), Sohar (Oman), Cochin and Colombo once more.

In addition to providing efficient transportation services linking the major ports of Southern India and Sri Lanka with the Gulf, this important intra-regional service will also connect to Evergreen’s global service network via its transhipment hub in Colombo.

Forecasts indicate signifcant economic growth in the region. According to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook report published in January, the Indian economy looks set to grow by 6.3% and 6.5% respectively in 2015 and 2016; this is greater than the respectable growth recorded last year of 5.8%.   The overall economy of the Middle East and its neighboring area is also forecast to increase, by 3.3% and 3.9% over this year and next.  These levels will also out-perform 2014, when growth of 2.8% was achieved.  These positive indicators in the economic outlook fuel expectations of steady cargo growth within the India – Gulf trade over the next two years.