SOUTH KOREA's SM Line plans to start a weekly container shipping service that will call at Portland, Oregon early next year, expected to benefit agri shippers, American Shipper reports.
A Portland call will be added to the carrier's Pacific Northwest service, with the first ship due to arrive at the port in January 2020. The service is operated by six box ships with a capacity ranging from 4,300 to 4,500 TEU.
This service 'will create more jobs for Oregonians and more opportunities for local companies to grow as they market Oregon products overseas,' said Governor Kate Brown. 'Oregon sent US$1.7 billion in exports to South Korea last year.'
She said that during a recent trade mission to South Korea: 'We met with SM Line executives and made the case for continuing connections with our trading partners in Asia. I'm delighted they made the decision to come to Portland.'
Portland has been without a direct container shipping service since 2017, forcing importers and exporters to move their containers by truck or rail to ports such as Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.
'We are thrilled to welcome SM Line and give regional shippers more options and better connect Oregon businesses to global markets,' said port executive director Curtis Robinhold. 'This service will help reduce the number of trucks on the road and decrease regional environmental impacts of freight movement.'
With the addition of Portland, the full port rotation for the Pacific Northwest service will be: Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Busan, Kwangyang and back to Yantian.
Said Agriculture Transportation Coalition executive director Peter Friedmann: 'While most agriculture and forest products exports will to move through Tacoma and Seattle, any new Columbia River service will provide an alternative to the costly truck dray up the interstate. It will make hours of service less costly for truckers bringing product from Oregon sources.'
WORLD SHIPPING
A Portland call will be added to the carrier's Pacific Northwest service, with the first ship due to arrive at the port in January 2020. The service is operated by six box ships with a capacity ranging from 4,300 to 4,500 TEU.
This service 'will create more jobs for Oregonians and more opportunities for local companies to grow as they market Oregon products overseas,' said Governor Kate Brown. 'Oregon sent US$1.7 billion in exports to South Korea last year.'
She said that during a recent trade mission to South Korea: 'We met with SM Line executives and made the case for continuing connections with our trading partners in Asia. I'm delighted they made the decision to come to Portland.'
Portland has been without a direct container shipping service since 2017, forcing importers and exporters to move their containers by truck or rail to ports such as Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.
'We are thrilled to welcome SM Line and give regional shippers more options and better connect Oregon businesses to global markets,' said port executive director Curtis Robinhold. 'This service will help reduce the number of trucks on the road and decrease regional environmental impacts of freight movement.'
With the addition of Portland, the full port rotation for the Pacific Northwest service will be: Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Busan, Kwangyang and back to Yantian.
Said Agriculture Transportation Coalition executive director Peter Friedmann: 'While most agriculture and forest products exports will to move through Tacoma and Seattle, any new Columbia River service will provide an alternative to the costly truck dray up the interstate. It will make hours of service less costly for truckers bringing product from Oregon sources.'
WORLD SHIPPING