Charleston Gains G6 East Coast/Northern Europe Service
November 12, 2014
CHARLESTON, SC – The G6 consortium of ocean carriers recently announced the addition of Charleston to a major US East Coast/North Europe service, further increasing the frequency of weekly post-Panamax vessel calls to the Port of Charleston.
Beginning in late November, Charleston will be the final East Coast port of call for ships on North Atlantic Express service, or AX1.
“The AX1 will considerably expand SCPA’s connectivity with the Northern Europe trade,” said SCPA president and CEO Jim Newsome. “The G6 has three other services on this trade in Charleston, and we look forward to serving as the only Southeast port of call for the AX1.”
All vessels in the service are post-Panamax in size, with 8,800 TEU capacity. To accommodate for the additional call in Charleston, Hapag-Lloyd also announced plans to deploy another vessel, the MV “Osaka Express,” on the AX1.
The addition of the AX1 marks 11 weekly vessel calls in Charleston representing 8 North Europe services. Charleston has earned a dominant market position in the region’s North Europe trade, with a 64% share. Top commodities in this trade for SCPA include automotive and machinery, as well as export forest products.
About the South Carolina Ports Authority
The South Carolina Ports Authority, established by the state’s General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston, Georgetown and Greer, handling international commerce valued at more than $63 billion annually while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. An economic development engine for the state, port operations facilitate 260,800 jobs across South Carolina and nearly $45 billion in economic activity each year. For more information, visit www.scspa.com.
