Three new weekly container services are to call at Port of Tauranga, adding 130 vessel calls per year to the company's schedule.

Port of Tauranga CEO Mark Cairns says the three new services are all from long term customers of the port.

Port of Tauranga.

He says this provides increased shipping options to importers and exporters through the direct Tauranga calls and trans shipment opportunities to destinations worldwide.

New Services:

Pacific International Lines (PIL) – a Singapore based, family-owned company – has announced a new service coming out of the west coast of the United States, calling Melbourne and Sydney in Australia and then Tauranga, before heading back to Brisbane, Taiwan and China. This new service will begin calling Tauranga in July.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) – also a privately owned company, based in Geneva – has added Tauranga into the rotation of its existing Noumea service, which previously sailed between Australia and Noumea. The Tauranga calls will commence in June.

Maersk line – a division of the AP Moller – Maersk Group, based in Denmark, has announced it is extending its current NZ1 service and from August will include Tauranga in the rotation to the international trans shipment hubs of Port Kelang and Tanjung Pelepas. This weekly service will replace the smaller Pacific Island service that currently calls at Tauranga on a fortnightly basis.