Shipping Service: Long Beach

Hyundai Returns to Long Beach

A familiar name has returned to the Port of Long Beach.

South Korean carrier Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. is bringing a string of vessels to Total Terminals International at Pier T.

The Pacific South 1 service, which launched on April 1, consists of four 6,300-TEU and two 5,500-TEU vessels sailing between Long Beach, the Chinese ports of Qingdao, Ningbo and Shanghai, and the South Korean ports of Kwangyang, Incheon and Busan.

"We are thrilled to see Hyundai Merchant Marine vessels back in the Port of Long Beach," said Dr. Noel Hacegaba, PPM®, the port’s managing director of commercial operations and chief commercial officer. "With HMM as a partner, TTI, the port’s largest container terminal, is poised for greater success today and in the years ahead."

Hyundai first brought cargo into Long Beach about 30 years ago, eventually becoming a tenant after leasing California United Terminals at Pier E, the northern part of what is now the Middle Harbor development.

The company operated from Long Beach until 2010, when it subleased 95 acres at the Port of Los Angeles.
When Hanjin collapsed last year, a portion of its Pier T lease in Long Beach was sold to Terminal Investment Limited, Mediterranean Shipping Co.’s terminal operations company.

In turn, MSC/TIL sold 20 percent of its stake to Hyundai, which has a strategic cooperation agreement with the 2M Alliance, which includes Maersk Line and MSC.

That agreement was blessed by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission in late March, just before the April 1 launch of the three new shipping alliances.

"The strategic partnership between 2M and Hyundai is a win-win not only for the ocean carriers, but for TTI and for the Port of Long Beach as well," Dr. Hacegaba said. "We expect additional services to call at Pier T, which will be able to accommodate up to 20,000-TEU vessels by 2020.  TTI is on a solid path to commercial success, thanks to the strategic partnership between 2M and HMM."