In the vast landscape of international trade, the shipping routes from Southeast Asia to Latin America serve as crucial economic arteries, significantly impacting the global trade structure. Let’s take a detailed look at the route configurations established by major shipping companies based on numerous origin ports and how these routes serve a diverse range of destination ports.

ONE encompasses a wide variety of origin ports, including SINGAPORE, Port Klang, Penang, Pasir gudang, JAKARTA, SURABAYA, Semarang, Belawan, Laem Chabang, Bangkok, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh, Manila South Harbour, Manila North Harbour, Sihanoukville, as well as Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Pipavav, Chennai, Kattupali, Visakhapatnam, Cochin/Tuticorin related to India, and also Colombo, Chittagong, Karachi, etc.

Singapore, as a global shipping hub, capitalizes on its advantageous location and comprehensive facilities to efficiently gather a wide variety of cargo. Port Klang, the largest port in Malaysia, is an important export channel for the country’s bulk commodities and manufactured products. Indian ports like Mundra and Nhava Sheva play a crucial role in India’s extensive import and export trade, continuously supplying cargo to ONE’s routes.

Cargo departing from these origin ports is transshipped via Yantian and Busan. Yantian, with its outstanding container handling capacity and extensive route network in southern China, efficiently aggregates cargo. Busan, as a key hub in Northeast Asia, further redistributes the cargo, enabling seamless connections with numerous destination ports in Latin America, such as Manzanillo, PA/Colon Container Terminal/Balboa, CY, Kingston, Cartagena, etc., bringing a rich variety of Asian products to the Latin American markets.

Maersk also collects cargo from the numerous origin ports mentioned earlier. For example, Jakarta, Indonesia’s largest container port, can provide Maersk with a large quantity of electronics, clothing, etc. Laem Chabang in Thailand is an important export port for various Thai products, and all these cargos are incorporated into Maersk’s transportation system. At the same time, cargo from South Asian ports such as Chittagong and Karachi also falls within Maersk’s service scope.

The cargo is concentrated and shipped to Shanghai. Shanghai, as a world-class port, has complete infrastructure, comprehensive shipping services, and extensive global connections. Maersk, leveraging the Shanghai port, fully integrates its global logistics network and efficiently transfers the cargo to Latin America. Destination ports such as Barranquilla, Caucedo, Altamira, etc. are closely connected to Asia through Maersk’s routes, ensuring the smooth operation of trade.

Cosco carefully selects the aforementioned origin ports as the starting points for cargo. Taking Manila South Harbour and Manila North Harbour in the Philippines as examples, these ports provide Cosco with local and surrounding region products of the Philippines, such as agricultural products and light industrial products. Meanwhile, ports in India like Chennai, Kattupali, Visakhapatnam, etc. inject a wide variety of cargo from eastern India into Cosco’s routes.

Cosco relies on Shanghai, Ningbo, and Qingdao for transshipment. The Shanghai port lays a solid foundation. Ningbo, as a deep-water port, with its powerful container handling capacity and efficient logistics operation system, enhances the efficiency of cargo transshipment. Qingdao, due to its geographical location in the north, adds flexibility to Cosco’s route layout, meeting the needs of different cargo sources and destinations between Southeast Asia and Latin America. For example, it provides services to destination ports such as Rio Haina, Puerto Cortes, Santo Tomas de Castilla, etc.

CMA collects cargo from ports such as SINGAPORE, Penang, Pasir gudang, etc. These ports, taking advantage of their own strengths, provide CMA with diverse cargo resources. For example, Penang, as the logistics hub in northern Malaysia, offers CMA electronics, textiles, etc. At the same time, cargo from Indian ports such as Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chittagong in Bangladesh also converges here.

CMA conducts its transportation with Shanghai as the main transshipment port. The central position of the Shanghai port enables it to provide CMA with sufficient cargo sources and convenient transshipment conditions, helping CMA to exploit its global shipping network and meet the diverse transportation needs of customers. CMA transports cargo to destination ports such as Port of Spain, San Juan, Georgetown, etc.

MSC collects cargo from numerous origin ports such as Surabaya, Semarang, Belawan, etc. Surabaya, as an important port in East Java, Indonesia, provides MSC with local manufactured products and agricultural products. Belawan, due to its location in the northern part of Sumatra Island, offers MSC rubber, palm oil, etc. At the same time, cargo from ports such as Karachi in Pakistan also embarks on its journey through MSC’s routes.

MSC chooses to connect Southeast Asia and Latin America via Shanghai. The excellent conditions of the Shanghai port, such as its large throughput, complete facilities, and dense route connections, allow MSC to efficiently gather cargo here and, with the help of its own route network, transport the cargo stably and reliably to destination ports in Latin America, such as the Colon Free Zone (Panama), Port – au – Prince, Paramaribo, etc.

EMC collects cargo from ports such as SINGAPORE, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh, etc. Singapore, as a shipping hub, provides EMC with a rich variety of cargo. Haiphong and Ho Chi Minh are important trading ports in Vietnam, offering EMC a variety of Vietnamese products, such as electronics, textiles, etc. In addition, it also includes cargo from ports such as Mundra, Nhava Sheva in India and Sihanoukville in Cambodia.

EMC takes Kaohsiung as a crucial transshipment node. Kaohsiung, which occupies an important position in the trade between Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia, with its geographical advantages and logistics facilities, helps EMC to gather cargo from Southeast Asia and, through cooperation with other ports, transfers the cargo to destination ports in Latin America, such as Moin, Veracruz, etc.

ZIM usually selects some of the origin ports mentioned above, such as Bangkok, Manila South Harbour, etc., and uses its specific routes, such as ZIM Aries (ZA9), tending to adopt direct shipping services to connect some Southeast Asian ports with destinations in Latin America. This approach reduces transshipment links, improves transportation efficiency, and meets the transportation needs of time-sensitive cargo.

According to different factors such as seasons and peak and off-peak trade seasons, ZIM adjusts and optimizes its routes. During the peak trade season, it increases flight frequencies; during the off-peak season, it adjusts the route configuration to reduce operating costs and maintain market competitiveness, providing more targeted shipping services to destination ports such as Panama City, Arica, Puerto Caldera, etc.

Shippers should study the route connectivity and transshipment convenience of different shipping companies according to the specific destination of the cargo in Latin America. Some remote or specific ports may be served more directly and efficiently by only some shipping company routes. If the destination is close to a specific region in Latin America, Cosco’s route transshipped through Qingdao port may have an advantage in connectivity.

Shippers should refer to the historical service records of shipping companies, customer reviews, and their ability to handle unexpected situations. For example, Maersk has a good reputation in the industry and extensive experience in solving transportation problems, which can provide shippers with confidence. If MSC stands out in service reliability, it will also become an important factor in the selection.

SINGAPORE is an important shipping center in Southeast Asia, with advanced port facilities and efficient logistics services, connecting the trade routes of all continents in the world. Port Klang in Malaysia is the largest port in the country and an important cargo transshipment hub in the Southeast Asia region. It has multiple docks and a good deep-water channel and can accommodate large ships. Penang in Malaysia is an important port mainly handling containers, dry bulk, and petroleum products, etc., and occupies an important position in Malaysia’s foreign trade. Pasir gudang in Malaysia is located in Johor and is one of the main ports in the country, mainly handling petrochemical products, dry liquid bulk, etc., and is also a regional industrial and logistics center. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has the largest port in the country, handling a large amount of Indonesia’s import and export trade. The variety of cargo is wide, covering various industrial and agricultural products. Surabaya in Indonesia is the second-largest port and an important economic gateway in East Java, playing an important role in Indonesia’s domestic and international trade, mainly handling coal, minerals, agricultural products, etc. Semarang in Indonesia is the main port in Central Java Province, mainly exporting local agricultural and industrial products and is also a commercial and transportation center in the region. Belawan in Indonesia is located in the northern part of Sumatra Island and is one of the important ports on the island. It mainly handles rubber, palm oil and other agricultural products, as well as the import and export of resource products such as oil and natural gas. Laem Chabang in Thailand is the largest container port, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, is an important maritime center in Thailand, handling most of Thailand’s import and export container transportation and has close trade ties with ports around the world. Bangkok in Thailand is an important port located on the Chao Phraya River. It mainly handles general cargo, agricultural products, and industrial products. Due to its nature as a river port, it is crucial for Thailand’s inland river transportation and foreign trade. Haiphong in Vietnam is the largest port in the north and one of the important industrial and commercial centers in the country. The main import and export cargo includes coal, minerals, machinery equipment, agricultural products, etc., and occupies an important position in Vietnam’s economic development. Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam is the largest port in the south and one of the important economic centers in the country. It handles a large amount of Vietnam’s import and export trade. The variety of cargo is wide, covering electronics, clothing, agricultural products, etc. Manila South Harbour and Manila North Harbour in the Philippines are two important ports in the capital Manila and are the main trading ports of the country. They handle the import and export of various cargo, including agricultural products, minerals, industrial products, etc., and play a crucial role in the economy and trade of the Philippines. Sihanoukville in Cambodia is the largest seaport, an important special economic zone and tourist destination in the country. In recent years, with the development of Cambodia’s economy, the cargo throughput of the port has been constantly increasing. It mainly handles containers, petroleum products, agricultural products, etc.