Emirates Shipping to launch 3rd Asia-Mideast loop by buying Hanjin slots

DUAL-headquartered in Dubai and Hong Kong, Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) is to offer a third Far East-Middle East service through slot buying on the FE-ME string of the Hanjin's Pacific South & Gulf, which is a string of the Middle East-Asia-US West Coast joint service run by Hanjin together with the Grand Alliance members, Hapag-Lloyd, NYK and OOCL.

ESL will brand the service as the Far East Gulf Express (FGX), and it adds to ESL's two existing Asia-Middle East services ensured through slots on the OOCL-Cosco MEX service and through Hyundai Merchant Marine's KMS service.

The FGX connects Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Yantian, Singapore, Colombo, Jebel Ali, Dammam, Port Kelang, Singapore, Laem Chabang, Shenzhen-Yantian. It continues to the US west coast with calls at Los Angeles and Oakland, not involving ESL, and employs 11 ships of around 6,500 TEU, according to Alphaliner.

The first ESL sailing is expected to sail from Busan on September 3.