Wallenius Wilhelmsen opens new terminal; expands China, Australasia routes

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has reached an agreement with Associated British Ports to build a new 11.75 acre (4.76 hectare) car handling facility at Southampton, UK, to be completed by year-end 2001.

The multi-decked car terminal will be sited at berth 34 in the Eastern Docks and will accommodate up to 3120 cars on five levels. Four of the decks will be covered so vehicles will be better protected from the elements.

A bar coding system will scan cars arriving into the terminal to offer tighter inventory control, and will also offer customers real-time feedback on the status of vehicles in transit.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen is also planning to increase its coverage of the China and Australia-Asia markets. Effective February 24, 2001, the company us increasing coverage to include Tianjin on the route served by its nine container/ro-ro vessels (con-ros), which already call in at Ningbo and Qingdao. Tianjin is one of four ports in China officially licensed to handle automobiles.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen is anticipating growth in China’s automotive and construction machinery exports and imports. Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s con-ros will no longer serve Nagoya and Long Beach on a regular basis as these ports will be covered by its PCTC service from Asia to North America. Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s coverage of Australia-Asia will also be increased, effective late March, 2001.

The New Zealand port of Tauranga will be added to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In Asia, the company will discharge Oceania cargo in Keelung or Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Inchon and Masan in Korea and Nagoya and Yokohama in Japan.