UWL, in collaboration with Swire Shipping, has introduced a new dedicated, express ocean export service from Seattle, Washington to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, offering a 21-day transit time, the fastest in the trade. This announcement was made by Duncan Wright, UWL President, while speaking at the Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC) 34th Annual Meeting.

Wright spoke to an audience of agriculture executives and logistics professionals, saying that this exclusive, premium, express service is like a beacon in the storm for U.S. agriculture exporters who are in dire need of faster transit times: “The recent ocean disruption and 100-day-long transit times are literally wiping out U.S. food exporter livelihood; many of these businesses simply cannot withstand the consistent lost sales, rotting food, and cancelled orders. Our new service provides much needed speed, reliability, and guaranteed capacity the sector is demanding.”

Responding to the needs of the U.S. agribusiness exporter, UWL, a top-10 American-owned NVOCC and leading provider of global 3PL services, contracted with Swire Shipping, a multi-purpose liner service, to launch the first-of-its-kind, fortnightly Seattle-to-Ho Chi Minh express ocean transport service, which offers:

• 21-day transit time (fastest in the trade)

• Guaranteed capacity

• No blank sailings

• No transshipments

• Dedicated equipment pool at T30

• Fixed day of departure, cut off, and ERD

This service includes priority berthing at both origin and destination and a dedicated equipment pool for suppliers in Seattle. This includes 6,000 brand-new ocean containers, with 40-foot-high cube and 20-foot containers already in the rotation. Additionally, reefer equipment is currently being positioned in the rotation and should be available in Seattle by July to help exporters moving temperature-controlled commodities like apples, grapes, and dairy products. Predictability is assured, as schedules are published six months in advance, with two sailings per month.

“Swire Shipping is committed to supporting the American exporter to provide quality, dedicated, express transit times to end users in Vietnam and SE Asia with new equipment and guaranteed slots. We are a dedicated partner and in for the long haul.” said Swire Shipping’s Rufus Frere-Smith, Regional Head of Projects, Americas.

UWL’s new Seattle - Ho Chi Minh ocean transport service represents the second collaboration between UWL and Swire Shipping. Earlier this year, the companies launched Sun Chief, the revolutionary express ocean service from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Seattle, WA, offering US importers a transit time of 19 days, the fastest in the trade.

“We are committed to meeting the needs of our customers and keeping an open mind about solutions. No one should be considering the ‘customary’ way of moving cargo as necessarily the best option anymore. There are a variety of tools in the toolbox, and we should be evaluating all of them right now if we want to keep the supply chain moving,” said Wright.