9:55pm | Grand China Shipping Company Ltd. will come for the first time to the Port of Long Beach on April 26, kicking off a weekly service that is expected to import roughly 140,000 20-foot equivalent container units by the end of the year, according to a statement issued by the port on Wednesday.
The vessel Red Strength will come into Total Terminals International’s Pier T shipping facility. The ship is one of five 2,700-TEU vessels in Grand China’s Super Pacific Express service that will be calling weekly to the port. SPX’s route includes the ports of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Shanghai and Long Beach. The new service represents the company’s entry into transpacific trade. The three-year-old company is part of Grand China Logistics Holding. Grand China Shipping operates a fleet of 23 container ships and is ranked 33rd among the world’s biggest container carriers, according to information provided by the company. The addition of Grand China’s TEUs could significantly bump up the port’s numbers. Last year, the port moved more than 6 million TEUs. “We are excited to welcome our new partner, Grand China Shipping, to the Port of Long Beach,” said Board of Harbor Commissioners Vice President Susan E. Anderson Wise in a statement. Wise is scheduled to join other port officials and city dignitaries in welcoming the new service next Tuesday. “This new service underscores Long Beach’s strong position as a premier gateway for transpacific trade,” she said.