APL recently announced the introduction of a second vessel to its Guam Saipan Express (GSX) service. Serving both Guam and Saipan, the APL U.S. flagged service will be refined from a fortnightly to a weekly service.
“The enhancement of the GSX service is timely as infrastructure development, tourism and commercial activities continue to build up in Guam. Being a trusted U.S. flagged carrier, APL aspires to actively contribute towards these developments with our container shipping services. The more frequent GSX service will speed up essential cargo shipments from the U.S. mainland to the islands, especially Guam where 75% of her inbound freight originate from the U.S. mainland,” said John Selleck, APL General Manager, Guam/Micronesia.
Currently supported by the 1,100-TEU APL Guam and soon, the 1,600-TEU APL Saipan, the enhanced GSX service will double its frequency calls to the ports of Busan, Yokohama, Guam and Saipan. Scheduled to arrive in Guam just ahead of every weekend, the enhanced GSX service will facilitate in-store inventory for shop retailers. The first sailing of the weekly service will commence in late December 2016 from Yokohama.
Selleck elaborated,
“The additional tonnage that APL is injecting into the GSX service demonstrates our commitment to serve the Mariana islands. The 100% frequency improvement of the GSX service stems from APL’s brand promise in delivering service excellence and more.”
Currently, APL’s GSX service is facilitating cargo shipments from the U.S. mainland via connecting service, Eagle Express service (EX1) in Busan, Korea and Yokohama, Japan. Given the strategic connections of the GSX service in Yokohama and Busan, APL also links Guam and Saipan exporters with the world through its global shipping network.
Source: APL
