With immediate effect Swire Shipping will be upgrading its multipurpose liner service coverage in the Asia Pacific region, it said in a release.

The dedicated Trans-Tasman service operating between New Zealand and Australia will be enhanced to provide a 15-day frequency. 12 additional Brisbane calls will be provided by a direct service from New Zealand.

Swire Shipping's weekly liner service from Brisbane to Lae, Papua New Guinea (PNG) will be further improved with two additional sailings per month, providing express transit times of four days. The upgraded service will provide six direct sailings per month.

A regular service connecting Brisbane to key ports in South-East Asia will be reintroduced to Swire Shipping's network coverage. This service will provide a market leading 11-day transit from Brisbane to the Philippines as well as direct sailings to Thailand and Singapore, the release pointed out.

Mr Jeremy Sutton, General Manager, Liner Trades, said, "These enhancements to our services allow us to provide our customers with greater frequency, significantly improved transit times and enhance our network coverage across the region."

In June 2015, Swire Shipping launched a connecting carrier partnership with Rickmers-Linie. Connecting more than 12 ports, the partnership will connect break-bulk and project cargoes in India and the Middle East, through Rickmers-Linie's Middle East and India service, to Swire Shipping's network in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, via Singapore.

In July 2015, Swire Shipping started a new express service between North Asia, PNG and Australia. The North Asia Express (NAX) service provides a direct link between North Asia, Townsville in Australia and Lae. The service offers a 16-day transit between Shanghai and Lae, and a 10-day transit between Townsville and Shanghai. NAX complements Swire Shipping's existing North Asia Trade, providing a market leading 10-day frequency from North Asia to Lae, the release highlighted.