A new direct shipping route between China, Indonesia and Adelaide will provide South Australian importers and exporters with significantly improved access to key North Asian markets, Flinders Port Holdings, has declared.
The ship, MSC Sijing, which departed Outer Harbor earlier this week, was the first vessel to arrive in Adelaide as part of MSC’s new weekly `Koala Service’ route. The new service will mean exports including wine, grapes, citrus, almonds, hay and grain, will ship to some of the State’s largest trading partners more quickly and shipping arrivals will be more predictable, the company stated.
Flinders Port Holdings’ chief executive Stewart Lammin said the first `Koala Service’ marked an important key milestone for South Australian exporters and importers.
“We welcome the return of weekly direct services linking Adelaide with China and Indonesia,” Mr Lammin said.
“Adelaide has not had direct access to Chinese markets since the Covid pandemic and our exporters and importers have been forced to rely on longer, non-direct services to access some of their most important markets.
“The commencement of the MSC Koala Service is a positive development for South Australia’s economy, which has the potential to enhance trade relations with North Asia and will boost the competitiveness of SA-based importers and exporters.”
Flinders Port Holdings owns and operates Flinders Adelaide Container Terminal as well as the port of Port Adelaide and the six key regional ports of Port Giles, Port Lincoln, Wallaroo, Port Pirie, Klein Point and Thevenard. Flinders Port Holdings also provides integrated supply chain solutions through Flinders Warehousing and Distribution; it has an annual turnover of more than $300 million and employs 750 people and indirectly supports 6000 jobs in South Australia. Flinders Port Holdings facilitates more than $25 billion dollars in international trade annually.
