Singapore – Swire Shipping Pte Ltd, a leading operator of liner shipping services in the Asia-Pacific and around the globe, today announced it has launched the market’s fastest port-to-port service with a transit time of between 16 and 18 days for voyages between Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam to Seattle in Washington.

Launched exclusively in partnership with UWL, a top 20 American-owned NVOCC and leading provider of global 3PL services, this express service will offer both speed and predictability for customers who need guaranteed allocations and expedient transit times. Schedules are published six months in advance, with two sailings per month. Priority berthing has been secured at both Seattle and Vietnam. Six thousand brand-new containers are also available as part of a dedicated equipment pool for shippers in Ho Chi Minh City.

“In joining forces with UWL, an innovative and integrated logistics provider to American BCOs, we are confident that our ocean express solution will be compelling to importers and exporters who need a direct port to port, fast and reliable service between Vietnam and the Pacific Northwest,” said Rufus Frere-Smith, Regional Head, Americas, Swire Shipping. “Our partnership is built on a joint vision of responding to customers’ desire for reliable, safe and innovative shipping solutions. We have deployed new state of the art, fuel efficient vessels that will sail at high speed, safely and sustainably. We are confident customers and BCOs will find this direct, express service to be extremely effective in shipping their high value products and getting to market quickly.”

Fortifying presence, strengthening partnerships

The launch of this service also marks Swire Shipping’s efforts to fortify its presence in the West Coast. It recently expanded its partnership with SSA for terminal services in Seattle, having already teamed up with the latter for the Polynesia Line service.

Further afield, it has also inked partnerships with Ho Chi Minh-based SP-ITC; a key container terminal and main gateway for international shipments into the city, as well as with Ben Line Agencies, a leading provider of maritime and logistics services in Asia and Australia.

UWL President Duncan Wright noted: “We are thrilled to add this service to our portfolio of offerings. Customers have been asking for solutions during what has been an incredibly challenging market, and this service is part of our response. Congestion and rate spikes will come and go, but the root issues remain, and US importers are pushing for more creativity and controlled solutions to manage supply chain risk. We have seen incredibly strong demand for this service already and this tells us that faster and reliable niche services are here to stay. Our relationship with Swire Shipping is critical to making all this work. Their remarkable 150-year history and robust knowledge of ocean shipping and strong Asia legacy, combined with UWL’s culture of innovation, brings this dedicated service to life.”

Celebrating Our Heritage; Navigating Our Future

Swire Shipping turns 150 this year. “The story of our growth has always been around how we have anticipated and innovated to meet our customers’ needs. This will continue to be our approach,” said Chris Daniells, Chief Commercial Officer, Swire Shipping. “As we celebrate our heritage and navigate our future, the focus on our customers will remain at the heart of how we do business. Our aim will always be to build enduring and mutually beneficial partnerships for the benefit of our customers.”

How to reach us

To find out more about this market-leading service, please get in touch with transpac.service@swireshipping.com

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About Swire Shipping

Headquartered in Singapore, Swire Shipping is dedicated to facilitating and growing trade in regions where it operates. It provides several high frequency liner shipping services in the Asia Pacific markets, and specialises in providing a wide range of specialist customer solutions for project, heavy lift, refrigerated, breakbulk and mini bulk cargoes. It connects 400 ports via an extensive network of services in the Asia-Pacific and globally, and maintains a worldwide agency network in addition to its own representative offices across the Asia-Pacific, Pacific Islands, North America and Europe, providing its customers with dedicated service and expert market knowledge.

Swire Projects, its projects division, provides specialist shipping services to the energy, resource and infrastructure sectors in the global project logistics market. In March 2021, Swire Shipping set up its integrated logistics arm providing door-to-door solutions for its customers, providing a single point of contact for customers for the full supply chain solution.

For more information please see https://www.swireshipping.com.

Media contacts

Eleanor Tan
Global Head,
Corporate Communications,
Swire Shipping
Tel: +65 8399 4019
Email: eleanor.tan@swireshipping.com

Stella Choo
Manager, Corporate Communications,
Swire Shipping
Tel: +65 9126 2595
Email: stella.choo@swireshipping.comO