Malaysia has a new container carrier. BMS Line has entered the domestic trade between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia, analysts Alphaliner report, with a new weekly service connecting Penang, Port Klang with Kota Kinabalu, Muara and Bintulu.
Of note, Muara is located in Brunei and therefore outside the scope of cabotage rules governing this service.
CMA CGM is taking slots on this service, to relay containers transhipped at Port Klang to and from its mainline ships.
The BMS Line service turns in two weeks with two 1,613 teu ships, BMS Virgo and BMS Libra, that were taken in charge by BMS Line in September and reflagged to Malaysia for compliance with local cabotage rules. Prior to their new assignment, these two ships were deployed by Dubai’s Simatech on an India cabotage service under the India flag as the Godvari and Narmada. Simatech has since upsized its Indian service with two 2,442 teu ships.
Carriers active on the domestic West Malaysia-East Malaysia container trade include MTT Shipping, PDZ Lines, Harbour-Link Group, Shin Yang Shipping, Chong Fui Shipping and a Malaysian affiliate of PIL.
