The new no-frills service will connect California with the Taicang Gateway, 60 km north of Shanghai.
At a time when only the bravest might consider a major investment in container shipping by way of a brand new venture as a bright idea, next month TCC – The Containership Company – say they will launch their new “no frills” service between the two countries. The new company, modelled on the budget airline principle, say they will launch from a port 60 kilometres North of Shanghai for a direct voyage to California. There will be no infrastructure for collections and deliveries apparently, simply shipment of the boxes Port to Port from the Taicang Gateway international container terminal. The service is promised to commence on the 17th April with arrival at either Long Beach or Los Angeles on the 2nd May.
Many in the industry will be watching the progress of this new operation with keen eyes. By offering a simplified tariff, provided they can stick to it, and no allegiance to other shipping interests, the way is clear for a small predator to pick up a useful sector of the trade. Whether the model can be extrapolated to other destinations is open to question.