ONE of Swire’s new ships, the Lae Chief, has just arrived in the port city to which it owes its name.

As reported by DCN earlier in the year, Swire Shipping announced it would operate its North Asia Express service on a fixed day fortnightly basis from November 2020 to better serve customers in the Asia-Pacific.

The newly upgraded service is to connect North Asia with PNG and Australia with a frequency of 14 days and be supported through the deployment of Swire Shipping’s 2,750TEU newbuild ships.

The crew of the Lae Chief in Lae. Credit: Swire

“To be able to welcome Lae Chief in Lae, is very meaningful indeed,” said Alistair Skingley, the Swire PNG country manager.

Lae Chief made its maiden call in Lae last week where the vessel and her crew received a warm welcome from ICTSI South Pacific, Swire Shipping colleagues and port authorities in Lae.

“We commemorated this occasion with a contactless plaque presentation to Captain Tang and his crew,” Mr Skingley said.

The ship is expected to shortly berth in Townsville.