The service, called the Nihon Thailand Express by Wan Hai and the Super Thai Express by IAL (NTE/STX), will connect Tokyo, Yokohama and Nagoya with Bangkok and Laem Chabang.
The 21-day loop deploys three ships in the 800- to 1,200-TEU range, two from Wan Hai, the Cape Frio and the ULrike F, and one from IAL, the Henry Schulte.
Wan Hai currently serves the Japanese-Thai trade with the JTT service, which also calls at three Taiwanese ports en route, and turning in four weeks and IAL also links the Japanese ports to Thailand through slots on MOL's Container Bangkok East Japan' loop (CBE), reports Paris-based Alphaliner.