APL Adds Pacific Coast Container Route

Compiled ByJill Jusko Global container operator APL has launched a weekly container transportation feeder service to support fast-growing trade between Asia and Central America, as well as provide a link between Central American markets and the West Coast of the United States. Called the Mexico-Central America Express (MCX), the service sails up and down the coasts of California, Mexico and the northern portion of Central America, and connects with APL trans-Pacific services at Los Angeles. The new MCX service will use two containerships operated by APL and run weekly between the Port of Los Angeles and Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala. It will make both southbound and northbound calls in Mexico. "One of the advantages of the north-south service is the global connectivity it provides for exporters and importers in various geographical regions and industries," notes Manny Fernandez, APL's president for Latin America. From the Guatemalan port of Puerto Quetzal, APL can provide intermodal service to and from Guatemala City, Guatemala; San Salvador, El Salvador; Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and Managua, Nicaragua. APL is a unit of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, a global logistics and shipping company.