The first call of Hapag-Lloyd’s East Coast 2  service, the UMM SALAL, was welcomed at APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico last week. The vessel was carrying cargo destined for North American importers taking advantage of Lazaro Cardenas’ location and capacity, driven by nearshoring and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement .

Th EC2 service consists of 12 vessels with a nominal capacity of 13,470 TEUs, 366 meters in length, and 141,077 gross registered tonnage. All vessels are operated by Hapag-Lloyd.

The Port of Lazaro Cardenas is the only location on the Mexican Pacific that will receive vessels from this service and the first call after leaving Asia. The East Coast 2 loop operates on a weekly basis calling Qingdao – Yantian – Ningbo – Yangshan – Busan – Lazaro Cardena – Cartagena – Savannah – Charleston – Wilmington – Norfolk – Cartagena – Busan – Qingdao.

“For added flexibility, APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas offers convenient rail connections to and from the U.S. south and south-west,” commented John Alexander Sanchez Gonzales, Commercial Manager for APM Terminals Mexico. “This includes direct block (unit) train routes from Lazaro Cardenas to Houston, Memphis and Dallas together with a streamlined processes for cross-border rail to the USA.

Rail loading is extremely fast and efficient at the terminal, due to strategically located on-dock rail facilities, including two dedicated gantry cranes. Full trains can be loaded within the intermodal yard and 99.98% of moves are without a security claim.”

“APM Terminals Lazaro Cardenas also offers a direct gateway to an inland depot in Mexico City (APM Terminals Cuautitlan), with more than 250 distribution centres serving more than 20 million consumers within a 20km radius,” he explained. “The terminal also boasts direct intermodal connectivity and the shortest distance to Monterrey, Mexico’s main growth market.”

With this new integration, Hapag-Lloyd reaffirms its confidence and strong commitment to containerised cargo movement through the Port of Lazaro Cardenas and its specialised terminals, such as APM Terminals in Mexico.