As a long-time vessel operator of Intra-Asia service, after entering into the Asia-Europe liner service in February 2021, CULINES set up the Trans-Pacific Express service in July 2021, linking China to the West Coast of the U.S.
TP 2.0 version
Entering mid-2022, CULines launched TP 2.0 version, signing a long-term agreement with LA TraPac terminal (Trans Pacific Container Service Corp.) in May and obtaining dedicated berths.
CULINES also deployed seven 4250 TEU vessels to upgrade the TPC service (South China-West U.S.) to a weekly basis with fixed departure dates and obtained long-term agreement supports from the U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon. The welcome ceremony was held at LA TraPac on May 27th.
Upgrading the TPC service
CULINES will fully upgrade the TPC service by optimising the inventory and providing weekly services
On July 21, 2022, the first anniversary of the Trans-Pacific Express service, CULINES signed a long-term terminal agreement with LA YTI. CULINES will then move on to fully upgrade the TPC service (East China-West U.S.) accordingly shortly by optimising the inventory and providing weekly services.
This represented a comprehensive upgrade of CULINES' two Trans-Pacific Express Services - TPC and TPX, to provide the Diamond Premier Service to those customers who are seeking stable, fast, and throughout VIP services.
Stable and fast delivery
The recent fall of the Trans-Pacific Express service is regarded as a market adjustment and a return of value. CULINES has won recognition from more and more customers through its stable and fast delivery record and exclusive customer service during the three months of TPC’s service upgrade.
It is determined to further upgrade the services and constantly polish small and beautiful products, to pursue the ultimate experience for specific customer groups, to create value for customers, to stick to our original intention with time, and to create the brand of CULINES Trans-Pacific Express service.
One-year anniversary recap of Trans-Pacific Express service
1. 2021.07.21
- TPX service (East China-West U.S.) officially launched.
- M/V AS COLUMBIA V.2130E maiden voyage with a full load.
2. 2021.08.23
- TPC service (South China-West U.S.) officially launched.
- M/V RENJIAN 27 V.2135 maiden voyage.
3. 2022.02.25
CULINES will seek long-term chartering or ordering for more 7000TEU vessels to prepare for the future upgrade
Order 7000TEU large vessel, further upgrade the layout of vessels in two years. On February 25, 2022, CULINES and CSSC SWS signed a contract for two 7000TEU vessels, which were expected to be delivered in the latter half of 2024.
CULINES will also seek long-term chartering or ordering for more 7000TEU vessels to prepare for the future upgrade of the current 4250TEU vessel type. CULINES will continue to make steady progress and further development of the Trans-Pacific Express service.
4. 2022.03.02
CULINES attended the 2022 Trans-Pacific Maritime Conference (TPM22) for the first time.
The CO-CEO of CULINES, Mr. Lars Solbø Christiansen, together with the U.S. team shared CULINES' practice and attempt on the Trans-Pacific Express service to the customers and partners worldwide.
5. 2022.03.03
CULINES U.S. office opening - To provide the best customer experience, to further expand the U.S. and North American markets, and to improve its overseas reputation, CULINES established a U.S. office and an exclusive customer service team for better service.
The opening ceremony was held on March 3, 2022, and attended by the CO-CEO - Mr. Lars Solbø Christiansen.
6. 2022.05.05
- TPC service upgraded to the 2.0 version, helping to improve the service quality.
- On May 5, 2022, CULINES and YICT successfully held the launch ceremony of the TPC service upgrade.
7. 2022.05.27
CULINES and LA TraPac held the welcome ceremony for service upgrading
CULINES and LA TraPac held the welcome ceremony for service upgrading.
The CEO of LA TraPac, Mr. Dan Bergman, the Director of LA TraPac, Mr. Peter Stone, the Chairman & CEO of CULINES, Mr. Raymond Chen, the General Agent - Norton Lilly, the U.S. Logistics Partner - Cargomatic, the customer representative - Linktrans Logistics and CULINES Shanghai & U.S. team jointly attended the welcome ceremony.
8. Significant increase in the schedule punctuality
In the first stage of the initial operation of the TPC service, the transportation time of the service was outstanding under the severe congestion in the west U.S. port; the second stage was the most difficult one; in the third stage after the New Year's Day, the efficiency of the service has been greatly improved.
Since the upgrade of the TPC service in the fourth stage on May 5, 2022, CULINES has reached a good berthing and delivery record with the support of TraPac dedicated berths and is favourably evaluated by e-commerce giants such as Amazon and Linktrans.
Efficiency
The President of Linktrans, Mr. Zhang Yiyu and the Vice President, Mr. Gao Guangyu said, "According to the customers’ requirements for the stable schedule of the Trans-Pacific Express service, CULINES has launched the TPC service 2.0 upgrade version. Since its maiden voyage in May, a total of 13 round trips has reached a schedule integrity rate of more than 90%."
Mr. Gao Guangyu adds, "For customers with efficiency requirements, it is guaranteed that no containers shall be dumped. The average transit time between Yantian and Los Angeles is 16.9 days, with the great cooperation of TraPac's dedicated berths, dock crews, and CULINES' all departments."
Container handling
Linktrans customise a "crossing" new product and uses the PP service to speed up the efficiency"
"Every voyage has timely feedback on departure, berthing, and discharging within 2 days after arriving at the port, which gives customers an excellent experience. For this service, Linktrans, customise a "crossing" new product and uses the PP service provided by the TPC service to speed up the efficiency of container handling."
"The average time from unloading to picking up the container is 1.4 days. The whole process of delivering to the west U.S. LOCAL warehouse achieves the goal of 15 working days on average. The stability meets the requirements of most customers and is highly praised by them."
Repositioning
In addition, the relatively common problem of empty container repositioning in the TP service has been solved, and the Off Dock service has been fully rationalised since August.
The Port to END service has also been rationalised, and the high-efficiency supply chain system has been formulated, laying a good foundation for dealing with possible supply chain challenges in the future.
9. To provide Last Mile trailer transshipment and hot delivery service
CULINES also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Cargomatic, a leading digital logistics company, in Long Beach, West U.S. The Chairman & CEO of Cargomatic - Mr. Richard Gerstein, the CAO of Cargomatic - Mr. Steve Jackson, the Chairman & CEO of CULINES - Mr. Raymond Chen, and the GM of CULINES U.S. office - Mr. Sa Liu attended the signing ceremony.
The two sides will work together to provide seamless Last Mile trailer transshipment and hot delivery services to help upgrade the TPC service.
10. Use of shore power in the U.S. and China
TPX service vessels, both M/V Xin Ming Zhou 108 and 106, were installed with AMP as well before the delivery
As a liner company that attaches great importance to environmental protection and carbon emission, CULINES sent all seven 4250 RJ series vessels to Zhoushan shipyard to retrofit AMP at the high point of the market before being deployed into the TPC service in 2021.
The TPX service vessels, both M/V Xin Ming Zhou 108 and 106, were installed with AMP as well before the delivery, to comply with California's environmental protection requirements for vessels. Meanwhile, it also shows the practical action to actively respond to the MOC’s encouragement to promote the use of shore power.
11. 2022.05.31
On May 31, 2022, CULINES and Antong Holdings held a “cloud signing” ceremony to have a friendly meeting and signed the Strategic Cooperation Framework Agreement online. The twelve 4250 TEU vessels owned by Anton Holdings are fully cooperative with CULines.
At present, seven vessels are deployed in the Trans-Pacific Express service and five in the Europe service, fully operated by CULINES. This time, based on the successful cooperation in the past year, the two parties signed a three-year agreement to further deepen strategic cooperation and to provide strong support for the transport capacity of the Trans-Pacific Express service.
12. 2022.07.21
TPX service will learn from the upgrade experience of the TPC service to further fix the berthing window
On July 21, CULINES and LA YTI signed a long-term terminal agreement in Singapore. The President & CEO of YTI, Mr. Alan McCorkle, the CBO & CCO of YTI Mr. Hyun Jung Yoon, the Chairman & CEO of CULINES - Mr. Raymond Chen, and the GM of CULINES U.S. office - Mr. Sa Liu jointly attended the signing ceremony.
YTI gave a stunning photo of the M/V Xin Ming Zhou 106’s maiden voyage into the terminal on June 6, 2022, to CULINES as a present. In the future, the TPX service will learn from the successful upgrade experience of the TPC service to further fix the berthing window, stabilise the route service and optimise the U.S. destination service.
Maiden voyage
The maiden voyage after the TPX service upgrading is M/V XMZ106 V.2235E ETB NGB Aug 22. The TPX services are jointly operated by CULINES and Shanghai Jin Jiang National Shipping (Group) Co., Ltd. This upgrade is mainly focused on the stock capacity and supplemented with appropriate capacity to comprehensively upgrade to a weekly fixed terminal service.
The upgraded first voyage will be carried out by M/V XMZ106 V.2235E on August 22. With the full support of La TraPac and LA YTI and domestic ports, the two CULINES boutique services - TPC and TPX will provide small and beautiful services to the market. As of June 2022, CULINES ranked first among the New TP Carriers on the Trans-Pacific Express service.
