Oceanbridge Shipping will play a leading hand in delivering the recently announced New Zealand-Asia Express (NAX) service.
The Auckland-based firm has been appointed shipping giant APL’s New Zealand agent, effective 1 September 2013.
The NAX service will operate through a vessel sharing agreement between APL, ANL and Hanjin Shipping, with calls at Auckland, Tauranga, Port Kang and Singapore.The service will also call at Brisbane northbound, as well as Brisbane and Sydney southbound, affording shippers some of the fastest transit times between New Zealand and Australia.
Oceanbridge Shipping liner agency manager, Steve Comber, said his company was excited about bringing APL to the New Zealand market.
“The international shipping market in New Zealand has been static for many years, and both exporters and importers are hungry for new alternatives,” Comber said. “In this regard, the arrival of APL is very welcome indeed.”
APL had considered entering the New Zealand market for a number of years, according to the company’s Australian managing director Bernie Yu.
“Given the current opportunity to enter this market as part of a new consortium, we feel the time is ripe for APL to introduce the NAX and help connect New Zealand to key Asian destinations and beyond,” Yu said.
According to Yu, Oceanbridge’s proven track record and profile amongst New Zealand’s import and export markets stood out in APL’s selection process.
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