Polynesia Line Goes Direct to Tonga Featured
2 March 2016. Polynesia Line has announced the addition of direct calls into Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
This route was previously serviced via transhipment but MV Polynesia is going to start with its direct monthly calls this month. This is going to be a big boost to the shipping industry in the region.
The service offers a 14-day transit from the US West Coast ports of Long Beach and Oakland and offers both refrigerated and dry cargo options.
Polynesia Line president Torben Henry said, “Polynesia Line has more than 30 years of experience servicing our customers in the South Pacific region. The introduction of a direct call to Nuku’alofa specifically caters to the needs of the business community in Tonga and makes us the first carrier to connect Tonga to the US West Coast since the 1980s.” Polynesia Line also links the US West Coast with Tahiti, Samoa and American Samoa.
Polynesia Line is owned by the China Navigation Pte Limited, the deep sea shipping arm of the Swire group. From January, this year China Navigation’s liner shipping division, Swire Shipping, has also enhanced its North Asia to Pacific service to direct calls to Nuku’alofa among other ports, becoming the only multipurpose liner operator to connect mainland China to the South Pacific.
BACKGROUND
Polynesia Line, established in 1967, was initially developed around the tuna business out of Pagopago in American Samoa.
Over the years, the business has grown and now Polynesia Line provides a fortnightly service between the US, West Coast and Tahiti, Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa and the wider Pacific Islands, including Micronesia. Polynesia Line owns 50 percent interest in Polynesia Shipping Services (Pagopago) and Polynesia Shipping Services (Apia).
Fiji Sun Online
