Evergreen Line has been awarded "Best Global Shipping Line" by Asia Cargo News at the 2015 Asian Freight Logistics and Supply Chain Awards. The accolade was conferred at a ceremony in Hong Kong last week and was accepted on behalf of the carrier by Derek Lo, Executive Vice President of Evergreen Marine (Hong Kong) Ltd.

Over 15,000 readers of Asia Cargo News were asked to select the companies that had consistently demonstrated excellence in customer service, innovation and quality of services provided. The AFLAS Awards have always been voted for by service users, not a panel of judges. This accolade of Best Global Shipping Line is therefore particularly significant as it signifies a vote of confidence in Evergreen's quality performance from its customers themselves.

"This honour is in recognition of Evergreen Line's consistent efforts to enhance its services to our customers," said Mr. Lo. "Customer demand is the foundation of our strategic planning. We closely monitor the developments of the global economy and demands of our customers, adjusting our service network accordingly. Our byword is customer satisfaction."

Recent challenges presented by port congestion on the US West Coast provide evidence of such efforts. Delays at these ports lasted from the third quarter of last year to the first quarter this year, thus boosting demand for capacity from the Far East to the US East Coast. Limited by the constraints of the Panama Canal, carriers were not able to deploy bigger ships on the traditional route from the Far East to the US east coast.

Last year Evergreen made use of its flexible 8,500 TEU ships to launch a new Asia - US East Coast service via the Suez Canal. These L-class vessels are of the maximum size that can pass under the Bayonne Bridge and call at the pivotal East Coast port of New York. The new service provided a perfect alternative to a delayed land-bridge routing via the congested West Coast ports.

The AFLAS Awards recognize outstanding performance, service innovation and the efforts in environmental protection by transportation service providers around the world. In addition to ocean carriers, the annual survey by Asia Cargo News also covers seaports, container terminals, logistics companies and many other players in the global transportation service chain.