– New Route to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea Will Be Launched on August 8, 2008

Gyeonggi Province has announced that it will be launching service to Europe via Busan, China, and Malaysia, a first for a port in the Yellow Sea. The inaugural service ceremony will be held on the ship “BUX STAR”, which will put in at Pyeongtaek Port on August 8th, 2008.

The newly launched service will operate with nine container ships from CMA-DGM, ranging in size from 4,000 TEU to 5,400 TEU. The route will be serviced once per week to Europe via China, Malaysia, Turkey, Rumania, and Ukraine.

Based in France, CMA-CGM is the world’s third largest shipper. The launch of this route heralds the first direct route from Pyeongtaek Port to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea to be serviced by the container ships of a European shipping company.

In January 2008, Pyeongtaek Port became the first port in the Yellow Sea to service a US route.

It is expected that the service launch will transform Pyeongtaek Port from a container feeder port near China to a hub port of the Yellow Sea. The cargo volume of Pyeongtaek Port is expected to grow by about 55,000 TEU per year, thanks to the effect of logistical cost savings led by cargo being transferred from the Gyeonggi and Incheon areas to the port.

Kang Rae-cheon, Chief of the Traffic and Construction Department of Gyeonggi Province said, “The opening of the route to Europe will enable Pyeongtaek Port to serve as a transit port for container cargo originating from North China to Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. This will significantly advance the development of the Port.”