UWL container arriving at Port of Seattle.
CLEVELAND – UWL, an American-owned NVOCC and provider of global 3PL services, has contracted with Swire Shipping, a multi-purpose liner service, to launch an exclusive express service, departing from Ho Chi Minh City and arriving at the Port of Seattle in 18 days.
According to the company, UWL’s bi-weekly service is the fastest trip from Vietnam to the U.S., and its agreement is the first dedicated ocean service by an NVOCC in the trade. Swire Shipping facilitates trade in more than 90 countries and across 400 ports.
“Customers have been asking for creative solutions during this extremely challenging market, and this first-of-its-kind service is part of our response,” said UWL President Duncan Wright. “Congestion and rate spikes will come and go, but the root issues remain. U.S. importers are pushing for more creativity and controlled reliable solutions to manage supply chain risk.
“We have seen incredibly strong demand for this service already, which tells us that fast and reliable niche services are here to stay.”
The company noted furniture manufacturers among their current clients.
UWL said its service offers priority berthing at both origin and destination, and a dedicated equipment pool for suppliers in Ho Chi Minh City. This includes 6,000 new ocean containers, with forty-foot-high cube (one foot taller than the standard 8’6” shipping container) and twenty-foot containers already in the rotation.
The company assures “predictability,” saying that its “schedules are published six months in advance, with two sailings per month.”
Upon arrival in Seattle, warehousing or distribution space can be provided by UWL’s sister company, World Distribution Services, and its new 300,000-square-foot facility near Tacoma, Wash., approximately 35 miles from the Port of Seattle.
“In joining forces with UWL, an innovative and integrated logistics provider to American BCOs, we are confident that our ocean express solution will be compelling to importers and exporters who need a direct port-to-port, fast and reliable service between Vietnam and the Pacific Northwest,” said Rufus Frere-Smith, regional head, Americas, Swire Shipping. “Our partnership is built on a joint vision of responding to customers’ desire for reliable, safe, and innovative shipping solutions.”
Swire Shipping said its state-of-the-art, fuel-efficient vessels are able to sail at high speed, safely and sustainably.
