In collaboration with Ulsan Port Authority (UPA), Taiwanese liner operator Wan Hai Lines has started a new container service connecting the South Korean port with Malaysia.
Ulsan is South Korea’s main oil port, owing to its status as the home to the country’s oil refining cluster.
Wan Hai will deploy five 3,000 TEU ships to the weekly KSS service, which will call at the Malaysian ports of Penang, Port Klang, Pasir Gudang, as well as Singapore, Hong Kong, Kaohsiung, Taipei, and then Incheon and Ulsan in South Korea. The service kicked off on 13 January with the Wan Hai 355’s departure from Ulsan.
UPA said that the new service is expected to boost Ulsan’s annual container volumes by 20,000 TEUs. In 2022, Ulsan handled 359,553 TEUs, down nearly 16% from 2021.
The authority’s director of operations, Chung Chang-kyu, said, “Through this new service, shippers in Ulsan have more options for export and import routes to Southeast Asia. We will strive to provide more diverse and convenient services to shippers in the Ulsan area through continuous marketing to increase regular liner services in 2023.”
Martina Li
Asia Correspondent
