TAIWAN’S TS Lines has quietly resurrected its CA3 service from China, which it “indefinitely suspended” almost 12 months ago as covid-driven demand subsided.
Although agents Seaway describe the service as ad hoc at this stage, forward schedules show eight sailings at approximately weekly intervals. Chinese ports of call vary but the rotations include Shekou and Nansha and in some instances Qingdao.
On East Coast Australia the port order is Brisbane, Melbourne, Port Botany with stevedoring by Patrick in the first two and Hutchison at the latter. Three ships are already on the coast, the 2913 TEU newbuilding TS Vancouver and the 1808 TEU sisters TS Kaohsiung and TS Osaka.
Listed to follow are another 2913 TEU newbuilding, TS Melbourne, the 1740TEU sisters Hansa Augsberg (the last ship on the previous CA3 iteration in March 2023) and Hansa Fresenburg, the 1808 TEU TS Bangkok and the 1909 TEU TS Tianjin.
TSL also contributes the 2693 TEU TS Hochiminh and TS Shekou to the CAT service and the 4957 TEU TS Sydney to the CA2 consortium.
The company has been taking delivery of a substantial number of newbuildings over the last three years as part of a major fleet expansion/renewal program and has planned but delayed an initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
