NYK Restructures Two Services Linking Asia with Central and Latin America

Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) today announced a restructuring of its MAREX service, which links Asia with Hawaii and Central America, and the company's ALEX service, which links Asia with Latin America.

These two services will be integrated into one service, named ALEX-NEO, and will include a circular express service, named MAREX-NEO (WCCA Express), which will link the U.S. West Coast with Mexico and the west coast of Central America.

In order to ensure coverage of ports that are currently part of the MAREX service, ALEX-NEO will make a direct call at Honolulu on both eastbound and westbound voyages from/to Asia. Cargo imported to and exported from countries in Central America will be transported via Manzanillo, Mexico, using the newly established MAREX-NEO (WCCA Express) service. Cargo imported to and exported from countries in Latin America will continue to be transported via the ALEX-NEO service.

We decided to make this service modification to adjust capacity in response to recent changes in the market. However, the new service to/from Latin America will actually be enhanced to meet with the needs of customers by offering direct call to Ningbo. Moreover, the new MAREX-NEO (WCCA Express) service will ensure stable transport for customers shipping to and from Central America.

New Service Rotation
ALEX-NEO: 77-day round-trip, fixed-day weekly service, using 11 vessels
(average of 2,500 TEUs each)
Tokyo(Mon/Mon) – Busan(Wed/Wed) – Shanghai(Fri/Fri) – Ningbo(Sat/Sat)–Keelung(Mon/Mon) – Hong Kong(Thu/Thu) – Nagoya(Mon/Mon) – Yokohama(Tue/Tue) – Honolulu(Tue/Wed) – Manzanillo(Wed/Thu) – Puerto Quetzal(Sat/Sun) – Buenaventura(Tue/Wed) – Guayaquil(Fri/Sat) – Callao(Wed/Fri) – Iquique(Thu/Thu) – Valparaiso(Sat/Sun) – Callao(Wed/Fri)
– Manzanillo(Thu/Fri) – Honolulu(Fri/Sat) – Tokyo
 

MAREX-NEO (WCCA Express): 21-day round-trip, fixed-day weekly service,
Using 3 vessels(average of 1,700 TEUs each)
Los Angeles(Wed/Wed) – Manzanillo(Sat/Sun) – Puerto Quetzal(Tue/Wed) – Acajutla(Wed/Thu) – Corinto(Thu/Fri) – Puerto Caldera(Sat/Mon) – Puerto Quetzal(Tue/Wed) – Manzanillo(Sat/Sun) – Los Angeles
 

Commencement/Cessation Dates / Vessels

• ALEX-NEO Service Commencement
  Eastbound: 11 March 2009 at Busan; vessel: NYK Espirito
  Westbound: 12 March 2009 at Buenaventura; vessel: NYK Joanna
• MAREX-NEO (WCCA Express) Service Commencement
  Westbound: 21 March 2009 at Acajutla; vessel: Ikoma
  2 April 2009 at Los Angeles; vessel: Ikoma