TOKYO - Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL, President: Akimitsu Ashida) today announced a further upgrade of container services to/from Vietnam with a new service called Vietnam Hong Kong New Loop 3 (VH3). This is part of the company's strategy for serial expansion of container services to meet booming cargo trade from, to, and within Asia.


The new VH3 service will be offered by a space charter from the Vietnam national shipping company Bien Dong Shipping (headquarters: Hanoi), which currently offers joint services with MOL. This further upgrades MOL services from booming northern Vietnam. The company will also offer fast service from/to ports in Japan, by connecting to the Japan/Hong Kong Straits route at the Hong Kong HIT terminal. The current RSK service (by a space charter from the RCL Company) will be discontinued in May, along with start of the new VH3 service.


Rotation
Haiphong (Fri/Sun) - Hong Kong (Tue/Wed) - Haiphong (Fri/Sun)


Start of Service
M/V Van Ly, departing Haiphong on March 24
(Temporary service from Haiphong to Hong Kong only; the service from Hong Kong to Haiphong will start in May.)


Transit Time
Haiphong →Hong Kong, Hong Kong → Haiphong: 2 days for both way


MOL's Haiphong-Japan container service
MOL has positioned Vietnam, which has a rapidly growing economy, as one of its key markets in the containership field, and has expanded its networks focusing on the two major ports of Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh City.


Currently, the Haiphong-Japan service is offered mainly by connections to the RSK route between Haiphong and Hong Kong, but the company will offer more reliable and higher-quality service by using the HIT terminal in Hong Kong.