Containers at Incheon Port. This weekly container service connects Republic of Korea’s Incheon with Việt Nam and Thailand via China. — AFP/VNA Photo

SEOUL — The Incheon Port Authority (IPA) on March 6 announced that global shipping company Maersk launched its new PH5 service at the Incheon Port on March 4 - a weekly container service connecting Republic of Korea’s Incheon with Việt Nam and Thailand via China.

The main ports of call on the route are Xiamen, Hong Kong (China), Leam Chabang (Thailand) and Cát Lái-HCM City (Việt Nam).

The service will deploy five vessels with each having a capacity of between 2,544 TEUs to 2,826 TEUs. The first vessel named MAERSK NINGBO has already arrived at the Hanjin Incheon Container Port to load cargo.

The IPA predicts the new service will increase the volume of goods, including raw materials, automotives parts, daily necessities, furniture and small home appliances by more than 60,000 TEUs per year.

According to an IPA official, with this new service, the number of port calls to Việt Nam and Thailand has increased to 29, providing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a better access to export markets and more options for shippers and forwarders in urban areas.

The Incheon Port is considered the most important port of thae Republic of Korea. With 10 piers, the international port can accommodate 50 ships weighing 50,000 tonnes simultaneouly. Shipping containers from Incheon to HCM City takes from five to eight days five to eight days. — VNS