HMM Co., South Korea’s largest shipping company, is set to expand its Southeast Asia network in an effort to diversify its services amid growing uncertainty.

The company announced Monday that it will launch a new container shipping service, the North-China Indonesia Service (NIS), starting in June. The route will be operated jointly with Singaporean shipping firms Pacific International Lines (PIL) and X-Press Feeders. The first vessel is scheduled to depart from Tianjin, China, on June 19.

Five container vessels with capacities ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) will be deployed on the route. One TEU represents a 20-foot container.

The full round trip will take 35 days. Major ports of call include Tianjin, Qingdao, Xiamen, Singapore, Jakarta, Surabaya, a second stop in Singapore, and a return to Tianjin, creating efficient links between key hubs in Southeast Asia.

By connecting North China directly with Indonesia, the service is also expected to enhance synergies with HMM’s long-haul routes to North America and Europe.

The move follows HMM’s return to the transatlantic trade lane between Europe and North America late last year, marking its reentry into the route after a seven-year absence.

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