Evergreen Line is to partner with Mariana Express in launching a joint South China - East Malaysia (SEM) Service. The new initiative will give a significant boost to the service offered to shippers on this important sector of the Intra-Asian trade.

The SEM service will employ two ships with around 1,000 teu capacity each. Sailings will be weekly and follow the port rotation: Shekou - Hong Kong - Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia) - Muara (Brunei) - Bintulu (Malaysia) - Shekou. The first sailing is planned to depart from Shekou on the 10th of September.

As part of its on-going efforts to improve network connections in this region, Evergreen Line will also take space on Interasia Lines' Singapore - Yangon (Burma) - Malaysia (SYM) service based on a slot swap arrangement. Providing Evergreen customers with an additional feeder connection to Yangon, the SYM loop will call at Singapore, Yangon, Port Klang, Yangon and then back to Singapore.

The ASEAN countries, made up of South-east Asian states, boast some of the world's highest forecast rates of economic growth currently. In 2014 the ASEAN economy as a whole looks set to grow by 4.6% and for 2015 the estimate is 5.6% growth according to the IMF's World Economic Outlook report published in July.

The ASEAN community recently set as a priority the successful conclusion of negotiations with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand to establish the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It is believed that this significant development will further encourage free trade and have the effect of driving cargo growth within the Intra-Asia trade.