The container shipping service will deploy three vessels of around 1,000 TEU over a three-week turnaround period.
The new Southern Star Express is intended to replace the joint Maersk and Mediterranean Shipping Company's trans-Tasman service, on which ANL has chartered box space, reports AXS-Alphaliner News.
For its part, MSC is preparing to introduce the new trans-Tasman 'Butterfly' service, on which ANL will take slots. This service will use two box ships: the 1,658-TEU MSC Edith and the 1,118-TEU MSC Frisia. The report said the existing MSC-ANL 'Kiwi' service will continue unchanged.
With Maersk, MSC and ANL now operating a total of three services dedicated to the trans-Tasman route, it said that these services provide an average weekly capacity of 3,725 TEU.
In addition, several long-haul services operated by these three container shipping lines also offer trans-Tasman connections en route, namely Maersk with the ANZ-US west coast services, MSC's 'Capricorn' and CMA CGM-ANL's NEMO services.