Swire Shipping Bolsters Port Moresby Coverage

Swire Shipping, a liner shipping division operated by The China Navigation Company (CNCo), is to launch a monthly direct call from New Zealand and Fiji to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, with the first vessel arriving on May 2016.

“The introduction of a direct port call from New Zealand and Fiji to Port Moresby further supports Swire Shipping’s commitment to the Papua New Guinea community,” Jeremy Sutton, Swire Shipping’s General Manager, Liner Trades, says.

The service will offer an eight-day transit time from New Zealand and four direct calls per month from Brisbane, Australia. According to the company, it is the only direct service connecting Lautoka and Suva in Fiji to Port Moresby. In return, it offers up to three calls per month from Port Moresby to the rest of Asia.

Swire Shipping’s multipurpose vessels, MV Kweilin and MV Nanchang, will be deployed on the route.

Previously, the company entered the agreement with AAL in December 2015 to launch North Asia to Australia and Papua New Guinea services. Swire Shipping also enhanced its Trans-Tasman service that operates between New Zealand and Australia in August 2015.