APM Terminals Apapa hosted a reception in honor of Pacific International Lines (PIL) which this week surpassed the milestone of one million TEUs handled through the APM Terminals Global Terminal Network for the year. Based in Singapore, PIL operates globally with a fleet of 191 vessels representing a total capacity of 373,000 TEUs, currently ranking 15th among the world's container shipping lines.

This milestone celebrates a great achievement in the growth of PIL, but this is also a celebration of a partnership noted APM Terminals Chief Commercial Officer Martin Gaard Christiansen; We have a solid business relationship with PIL here in Africa, and we continue to further expand upon that in Asia, the Red Sea and South America.

Mr. Chor Kee Tan, Deputy Managing Director of PIL International Lines (Pte) Ltd in Singapore, stated "The people in APM Terminals are professional and customer focused. We value the strong partnership between the two companies and I am confident that we can further grow our business together."

PIL's container throughput with APM Terminals' facilities has more than doubled in the past four years, increasing from 433,000 TEUs in 2009 to a projected 1.1 million TEUs this year. Container volumes have increased by 17.5% in 2013 from the 915,000 TEUs handled by APM Terminals for PIL in 2012, with a large volume moving through APM Terminals Apapa, West Africa's busiest container terminal.

PIL offers container liner service from the Far East to Europe, the Black Sea, Canada, the Indian sub-continent, the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the East Coast of South America and the US West Coast, along with a comprehensive feeder system. PIL's container throughput handled by APM Terminals also includes port facilities in Luanda, Tema, Onne, Douala and Abidjan in West Africa; Aqaba, Jordan; Callao, Peru; Laem Chabang, Thailand and Shanghai, Qingdao and Guangzhou, China.

Since beginning operations as a coastal service provider in 1967, PIL has become one of the world's largest liner shipping companies, with 13 vessels representing another 51,000 TEUs of capacity now on order.

We have built a strong relationship and trust between our two companies at all levels, stated Mr. Christiansen, adding Both companies are looking at a very long-term relationship.