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Iris Lines, the shipping unit of Royal Cargo, is partnering Singapore’s Pacific International Lines in a joint service that will connect the Philippines to the Lion City and Thailand
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The two carriers will launch the Thailand Philippines Straits Service on February 16 from Manila South Harbor
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The new weekly service will offer a fleet of 750-TEU vessels deployed jointly by PIL and Iris Lines that will call at Manila South Harbor, Singapore port, Bangkok and Laem Chabang
Iris Lines and Pacific International Lines (PIL) are offering a Manila-Singapore-Thailand service starting this month.
The service is under a joint agreement signed on February 2 by Capt. Igal Dafni of Iris Lines, the shipping arm of Royal Cargo, and Tonnie Lim, chief trades officer of Singapore-based PIL, Royal Cargo said in a statement.
The new weekly service, to be known as Thailand Philippines Straits Service (TPS), will be launched on February 16 at Asian Terminals Inc. in Manila South Harbor.
The offering will be served by a fleet of vessels with an average capacity of 750 twenty-foot equivalent units to be deployed jointly by PIL and Iris Lines.
The new intra-Asia service will call every week at:
- Manila South Harbor – arrives every Wednesday and departs every Thursday
- Singapore PSA Terminal – arrives every Monday
- Bangkok Thai Connectivity Terminal – arrives every Thursday
- Laem Chabang Eastern Sea LCB Terminal – arrives every Friday
PIL Intra-Asia Services general manager Surendran Mathilagath in a separate statement said the new service is part of his group’s ongoing drive to enhance its Asian coverage and marks PIL’s dedication to strengthen its links with Asia’s numerous ports.
“By adding this new TPS service, we are providing a strong connection among the key Southeast Asian countries of Philippines, Thailand and Singapore,” Mathilagath said.
“This would significantly raise our competitiveness in Asia, enabling us to offer competitive solutions and transit times within Southeast Asia, as well as to the rest of our global network. This is in line with PIL’s commitment to deliver connectivity and value to our customers worldwide,” he said.
Iris Lines, formerly Iris Logistics Inc., is the shipping division of the Royal Cargo Group that operates domestic and international maritime and transport services.
Iris Lines’ main goal is to promote the participation of Philippine-owned carriers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations trade and to increase the competitiveness of Philippine exporters and importers.
PIL ranks 12th among the world’s top container shipping lines. From a modest shipowner in Singapore, PIL has developed into a global carrier focusing on China, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Oceania.
Along with its sister companies Mariana Express Lines and Malaysia Shipping Corp., PIL serves customers at over 500 locations in more than 90 countries worldwide with a fleet of around 100 container and multi-purpose vessels.
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