The Port of Savannah welcomed its first Wan Hai vessel Thursday when the ocean carrier debuted its route to the U.S. East Coast.
The initial weekly Wan Hai service to Savannah includes 10 vessels with capacities of 2,800 to 4,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units. In addition, wan Hai announced the Asia to East Coast of North America (branded AA7) service on June 8.
“We are pleased to welcome Wan Hai to the Port of Savannah,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “This new service strengthens Georgia’s position as the third-busiest container gateway as more customers in the U.S. Southeast and beyond rely on our services.”
Wan Hai selected just two East Coast ports for its inaugural rotation, Savannah and New York-New Jersey. Wan Hai services to North America previously called only on the U.S. West Coast.
Taiwan-based Wan Hai Lines, the largest intra-Asia carrier worldwide, said it is excited to expand its service to the U.S. East Coast. Founded in 1965 and making its entry into container shipping in 1976, Wan Hai has been calling the U.S. West Coast for more than 20 years. Wan Hai’s addition of this service responds to growing consumer demand, and the company desires to provide better transit time and service coverage.
The Cape Mayor, a 2,741-TEU vessel, was the first ship of Wan Hai Lines’ fleet to arrive at the U.S. East Coast from Taipei. Nine additional Panamax Class container vessels with a capacity of 2,800 to 4,000 TEUs will be included in the rotation between Asia and the East Coast.
The new service between Asia and the U.S. East Coast originates from Taipei, stopping at Xiamen, Shekou, Cai Mep, and New York-New Jersey before calling the Port of Savannah. In keeping with Wan Hai’s corporate motto, “We Carry, We Care,” the company said it is honored to provide this new service to the U.S. East Coast and welcomes the opportunity to provide enhanced service options to its valued customers.
“Savannah’s position in the rotation makes Georgia the final loading port for exports,” said GPA Senior Director of Trade Development for Ocean Carrier and Non-Container Sales Bruce Kuzma. “For American producers, that means cargo leaves for global markets sooner when loaded in Savannah.”
The new offering brings Savannah’s weekly containership services to 36, second only to New York-New Jersey on the U.S. East Coast. Over the past three years, Savannah has seen a 9.4 percent increase in U.S. East Coast market share for a total of 22.1 percent in FY2021.
“Customers are gravitating toward Savannah because of the port’s superior landside connections to major domestic markets and its broad ocean carrier network,” said GPA Chief Commercial Officer Cliff Pyron. “This new route will expand overall capacity and offers customers additional scheduling opportunities.”
To stay ahead of current and future demand, GPA’s Board recently approved a $525 million bond referendum to fast-track expansion efforts at the Port of Savannah. Enhancements at Garden City Terminal will add 1.4 million TEUs of annual capacity and begin to come online by November.
Other projects nearing completion include the Mason Mega Rail Terminal, which is already partially in use and will include 18 working tracks before the end of the year, and the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), which is currently 90 percent complete. The harbor deepening will give larger vessels the ability to take on heavier loads, provide greater scheduling flexibility, and will also be complete by the end of the year.
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