Charleston, SC - The Port of Charleston has added a new container service between the U.S. and Asia.
The CKYH Alliance (COSCO, K Line, Yang Ming Line and Hanjin Shipping) has added Charleston to its AWE-5 service between Asia and the East Coast of the United States. The lines plan to deploy eight vessels of 3,000-4,000 TEU capacity on the service.
The first Charleston call is expected in early August at Columbus Street Terminal.
"The new AWE5 service through Charleston gives our customers across the Southeast another excellent service option with fast transit times," said Fred Stribling, vice president of marketing and sales for the S.C. State Ports Authority. "We're thrilled to see that CKYH is bullish on serving the Southeast through the Port of Charleston."
Port calls in Asia are Hong Kong, Yantian, Shanghai and Ningbo. The first vessel, the BARCELONA BRIDGE, was deployed into the service in Hong Kong on July 5.
"This is great for Charleston and great for our company," said Jo Douglas, controller of Quoizel Lighting, which employs 170 people at its Goose Creek facility and imports lighting products. "This is a very desirable service for us because it is so direct from China."