In response to what they say is increased customer demand, 3PL services provider UWL and Singapore-based shipping company Swire Shipping on March 16 announced the addition of a new port call for export refrigerated containers in Busan, South Korea on the Sun Chief Express shipping service.
The new port call coincides with a recent adjustment to the Sun Chief Express schedule, which UWL said was made to increase efficiency while also adding the Busan call. The new service rotation is now Seattle – Busan, South Korea – Haiphong, Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Seattle.
“Many clients have expressed a strong preference for a return to the shorter Ho Chi Minh – Seattle eastbound voyage, as the service was initially conceived, as well as a quicker Seattle–Haiphong leg on the westbound voyage,” UWL President Duncan Wright explained.
“Swire Shipping’s decision to add this call for export reefer containers in Busan will give export customers additional reach into Asia and provide American agricultural exporters better access to global markets,” he said.
“As well as expanding capacity to U.S. exporters by using available slots to carry cargo, utilization of otherwise empty slots for repositioning contributes to more efficient use of ships and reduction in net CO2 emissions,” Swire Shipping Americas projects head Rufus Frere-Smith added.
UWL, an Ohio-based NVOCC, specializes in ocean transportation, air freight, project cargo, warehousing and distribution, chartering, bulk liquid logistics and customs house brokerage. Its assets include a national network of distribution centers.
The company is also expanding its presence in the region with a new 4,200-square-foot office to meet customer demand and support the Sun Chief Express service.
“UWL and our parent company, World Group, feel the Pacific Northwest is the gateway of the future as shippers look for alternatives to the Southern California ports,” UWL President Duncan Wright commented.
“This new office,” he added, “demonstrates our commitment to growth in the region, and complements our recent investments, including Sun Chief Express, the acquisition of Pacific Cascade, and the introduction of a new Tacoma-based distribution center by our sister company, WDS (World Distribution Services).”
Pacific Cascade, which was purchased by World Distribution Services in December, 2022, is an asset-light provider of 3PL services including drayage, warehousing, transloading, fulfillment and more. The company, which operates over 50 trucks, is comprised of Pacific Cascade Distribution and Pacific Cascade Trucking, both headquartered in Sumner, Wash.
WDS also recently introduced a new 300-000-square-foot warehouse in Tacoma, Wash.
Launched in 2022, Sun Chief Express is among the faster and more reliable ocean shipping service from Vietnam to the U.S. West Coast, completing the journey is as few as 18 days, according to UWL.
The new UWL Seattle office is located near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport,18 miles from the Port of Tacoma and 20 miles from the Port of Seattle.
It represents UWL’s sixth new office in less than 18 months. In 2022, UWL established offices in Long Beach, Calif., Haiphong, Vietnam, Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Shanghai, China. A Chicago office was established in 2021.
“This new office in Seattle not only solidifies our position in the Pacific Northwest market, but also sends a clear message that we are in growth mode,” UWL Senior Vice President Evan Hartman explained.
“Opening multiple new offices throughout the world in less than two years is a clear indicator that we are prepared to invest in markets that provide us with a strategic advantage and enable us to continue to support and grow our customer base,” he said.