William Doyle from the Federal Maritime Commission has revealed South Korea’s newest containerline has been in the US to meet with officials ahead of its transpacific launch. Speaking to shippers in New York, Doyle said that executives from Samra Midas Group (SM Group) visited the FMC last year. SM Group is starting a new ocean carrier company called SM Line. SM Group is a South Korean based manufacturing, construction and services conglomerate described by Doyle as “an expansive business”.
“SM Line is being formed from the ashes of the now bankrupt Hanjin Line,” Doyle said. He said SM intends to operate a transpacific service between the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo in China; Busan, South Korea; and the port of Long Beach California. The company will operate a string of five 6,500 teu container ships. The transpacific service is scheduled to commence in April 2017.
In addition, SM Line intends to operate eight Intra-Asia services between China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and other countries. SM intends to operate approximately 11 vessels on these regional trades.
