SIMIC

The fortnightly service commenced on March 7 from Ningbo connecting China and South Korea with the US East Coast. The company is deploying four vessels with an average of 6,100 TEU capacity, reports Colchester's Seatrade Maritime News.

"We are delighted to introduce this new service and new destinations for our customers. Port congestion has been a challenge for everyone recently and the AEC will allow us to service ports that are more efficient for our customers," said Sea Lead managing director Cho Kit Wei.

The company says it is looking at vessel sharing arrangements to improve the frequency of the service.

"We are confident that the market and our partners will respond well to the service, and we look forward to developing strong partnerships on this trade lane," Mr Cho added.

"This new service, and the jobs and economic impact it brings to Jacksonville, is a direct result of the dedication and foresight of our elected officials who have invested in a deeper channel and infrastructure upgrades to enable Jaxport to serve a wider variety of vessels," said Jaxport CEO Eric Green.

Florida ports have promoted themselves as an alternative to congested US West Coast ports.

The service serves the ports of Nansha, Ningbo, and Qingdao in China; Busan, South Korea; Norfolk, Newark, Charleston; and Jacksonville in the US.

Sea Lead's other service serves one US port, Long Beach, through a transpacific service launched in June 2021.