Container shipping giant and terminal service provider APL has signed an agreement with Taiwan Branch and Taiwan International Ports Corporation Ltd to renew APL’s terminal lease at the Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The signed deal retains APL’s current terminal plot in the Kaohsiung port for another 10 years from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2027.
Nicolas Sartini, APL chief executive officer said: “Today, Intra-Asia container volume accounts for one-sixth of all containers moved globally. We see further growth prospects in this trade where APL is seeking to be a major player. Our terminal in the Port of Kaohsiung will therefore be strategic for our advancement in Intra-Asia where we are connecting the key markets of Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam amongst others via the relay hub today.”
The terminal currently receives the vessels of APL and other carriers including CMA CGM. With an annual capacity of 1.5 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU), the facility boasts a productivity rate that tops 36 container moves per hour.
Operating two cargo berths with a linear quay length of 640m and draft of 15.2m, the APL-operated terminal is well-situated and equipped to handle ships of up to 14,000 TEUs.
The 101-acre terminal also comprises a container freight station, a 21,000-TEU yard, three maintenance and repair workshops, two warehouses and two gas stations that provide value-added onsite logistics support to APL shippers, APL said in a press release.
In the months ahead, APL said it will be upgrading its terminal operating system, increasing its capability to enhance operational excellence.
APL is one of the world’s leading ocean carriers, providing world-class container shipping and terminal services, as well as intermodal operations supported by leading-edge IT and ecommerce.
APL offers transcontinental cargo shipping across Asia, North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Australia through more than 110 weekly services calling ports in over 70 countries worldwide. APL is part of the CMA CGM Group.
