Taiwan-based Kanway Line recently announced it will launch a new Hong Kong-Hai Phong direct weekly service in mid-October, Shippingazette reports.
Company director Schooner Lee said Kanway has entered a slot swap with TS Lines in this new Vietnam service. "We will offer some of our Hong Kong-Taiwan string slots to TS Lines to exchange for its Hong Kong-Hai Phong slots," he said.
As a specialist in operating routes between Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, Kanway has been running a Hong Kong-Taiwan service for 18 years. Its current approach to offering the Hong Kong-Hai Phong service is the implementation of Kanway's operating strategy to effect gradual expansion.
"We bought a vessel in late 2009 to offer direct Hong Kong-Taiwan service. We will follow this strategy in running this new service and will charter or purchase our own vessel to raise our capacity later when the operation of the service becomes more sophisticated. At that time, we will add a call at Fangchenggang in Guangxi," said Capt Lee.
He said China is anxious to develop its western region and the western district of Guangdong province is Guangxi autonomous region, which borders Vietnam. Hai Phong has great potential in development because it not only possesses the biggest port in northeastern Vietnam, but is also close to Guangxi. So it is a vital port for the growing China-ASEAN trade.
Vietnam has special advantages, enjoying American preferential policies. Additionally, its status as an ASEAN member state with inland border with China provides another edge.
"Since China has given trade benefits to ASEAN member states, Hai Phong will continue to develop on the back of its China trade. This is the key factor why we chose Hai Phong. If we chose Ho Chi Minh City, we would consider connecting to long-haul loops."
Concerning the further development of Guangdong, Capt Lee said the provincial government is carrying out the central government's western China development scheme. So it is also developing the western area of the province as well as the eastern part, which has been well developed in over recent decades.
Seeing the potential of western Guangdong province, the richest in China, Kanway set up a liaison office in Yangjiang in southwestern Guangdong, nine months ago.
Capt Lee said no matter the cargo is from eastern China or eastern Guangdong, if it has to be shipped to Vietnam, passing through Hong Kong is more convenient than direct shipments.
"Many foreign, Taiwanese or Japanese companies have set up offices in Hong Kong to facilitate the trade operations. So we have no intention of offering direct service between Shanghai and Hai Phong," he said.
Kanway Line was established in 2007. Its predecessor was Fuhai Line, which was set up in 1994. Currently, Kanway's service network in China includes a principal office in Shenzhen with Class-A forwarder licence, three offices in Dongguan, Foshan and Zhongshan, four liaison offices in Dongguan Taiping terminal, Shatian, Panyu's Lianhuashan and Yangjiang, and one agent in Guangzhou.
Company director Schooner Lee said Kanway has entered a slot swap with TS Lines in this new Vietnam service. "We will offer some of our Hong Kong-Taiwan string slots to TS Lines to exchange for its Hong Kong-Hai Phong slots," he said.
As a specialist in operating routes between Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, Kanway has been running a Hong Kong-Taiwan service for 18 years. Its current approach to offering the Hong Kong-Hai Phong service is the implementation of Kanway's operating strategy to effect gradual expansion.
"We bought a vessel in late 2009 to offer direct Hong Kong-Taiwan service. We will follow this strategy in running this new service and will charter or purchase our own vessel to raise our capacity later when the operation of the service becomes more sophisticated. At that time, we will add a call at Fangchenggang in Guangxi," said Capt Lee.
He said China is anxious to develop its western region and the western district of Guangdong province is Guangxi autonomous region, which borders Vietnam. Hai Phong has great potential in development because it not only possesses the biggest port in northeastern Vietnam, but is also close to Guangxi. So it is a vital port for the growing China-ASEAN trade.
Vietnam has special advantages, enjoying American preferential policies. Additionally, its status as an ASEAN member state with inland border with China provides another edge.
"Since China has given trade benefits to ASEAN member states, Hai Phong will continue to develop on the back of its China trade. This is the key factor why we chose Hai Phong. If we chose Ho Chi Minh City, we would consider connecting to long-haul loops."
Concerning the further development of Guangdong, Capt Lee said the provincial government is carrying out the central government's western China development scheme. So it is also developing the western area of the province as well as the eastern part, which has been well developed in over recent decades.
Seeing the potential of western Guangdong province, the richest in China, Kanway set up a liaison office in Yangjiang in southwestern Guangdong, nine months ago.
Capt Lee said no matter the cargo is from eastern China or eastern Guangdong, if it has to be shipped to Vietnam, passing through Hong Kong is more convenient than direct shipments.
"Many foreign, Taiwanese or Japanese companies have set up offices in Hong Kong to facilitate the trade operations. So we have no intention of offering direct service between Shanghai and Hai Phong," he said.
Kanway Line was established in 2007. Its predecessor was Fuhai Line, which was set up in 1994. Currently, Kanway's service network in China includes a principal office in Shenzhen with Class-A forwarder licence, three offices in Dongguan, Foshan and Zhongshan, four liaison offices in Dongguan Taiping terminal, Shatian, Panyu's Lianhuashan and Yangjiang, and one agent in Guangzhou.