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The ninth temporary ship, the Hyundai Forward, departed Busan on January 23, bound for Los Angeles
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The 4,600-TEU vessel was loaded with 3,970 TEUs of export cargoes
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Eight temporary ships have been deployed on the Busan-LA route since August amid vessel space constraints
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A temporary ship was also deployed on the Busan-Savannah route at the end of 2020
National container carrier Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) recently deployed a ninth extra loader to transport export cargoes from South Korea to the United States amid surging demand and vessel space constraints.
Seoul-headquartered HMM in a statement said the ninth temporary ship, the Hyundai Forward, departed January 23 from Hyundai Pusan New Port Terminal in Busan, bound for Los Angeles (LA).
The vessel, which has a carrying capacity of 4,600 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), was loaded with 3,970 TEUs of cargo from Korean exporters that were facing hardships arising from vessel space limitations and a container shortage. About 68% of these companies are small and medium-sized businesses, said HMM.
The carrier said it has been trying to solve these difficulties by deploying extra loaders. Despite the challenges in securing additional ships, it has been operating more than one temporary ship per month since August of last year.
In 2020, seven temporary ships were deployed on the Busan-LA route. A total of eight temporary ships have since been utilized on the lane, with the Hyundai Forward being the latest.
In addition, at the end of last year, a temporary ship was put on the Busan-Savannah route. Savannah is a port city in the estuary of the Savannah River in southeastern Georgia, USA.
“So far, a total of nine temporary ships have been put into operation,” said HMM. The carrier is also planning to deploy a temporary ship on the European route (Busan to Rotterdam/Hamburg) at the end of this month.
HMM said global shipping demand increased sharply from the second half of last year, leading to issues with securing both container boxes and ships. It added that since it no longer has ships standing idle, HMM continues to send out temporary ships to help domestic export companies.
“The steady deployment of additional vessels is expected to be of great help to Korean companies suffering from disruptions in exports,” an HMM official said. “As the only Korean-based global shipping company, we will put our utmost efforts into ensuring that export products are transported without disruptions.”
Photo courtesy of HMM
