Geneva-based container carrier MSC will adjust its Santana service to call at the Port of Tacoma, a member of the Northwest Seaport Alliance, in a bid to skirt US Pacific Coast congestion issues, the seaport alliance said April 26.
The Santana service, which began in August 2020 in response to growing trans-Pacific demand, will now call on the ports of Yantian-Shanghai-Tacoma-Yantian.
“Tacoma has become the most fluid of all US West Coast ports,” MSC said in a statement. “It offers great rail connections into the Midwest destinations with much faster cargo delivery compared to other gateways.”
The MSC Santana service is the most recent of five carrier offerings to call on the NWSA since the beginning of 2021. As heavy imports and congestion continue to weigh on the adjacent ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, carriers have responded to shipper demands for quicker, more reliable service.
Platts Container Rate 13 – North Asia to West Coast North America – was assessed April 26 at $4,250/FEU, as a red hot import market left vessels full laden.
And widespread congestion has caused MSC to make several schedule adjustments in April.
The company said April 26 that its Liberty service, routed between Vietnam and the USEC, will allow for increased cargo fluidity from Southeast Asian markets.
“MSC will update its trans-Pacific U.S. East Coast network with the aim to better manage the current industrywide challenging market situation, which is generating congestion across the supply chain.”
Platts Container Rate 25 – Southeast Asia to East Coast North America – was assessed April 26 at $5,400/FEU, up $50 on the month.
Source: Platts
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