In a further boost to the emerging role of Port Klang as a regional hub port, two leading Asian container liner operation have announced plans to launch a direct service linking the premier Malaysian port with key ports in the Red Sea.

The state-owned China Ocean Shipping Company and the Taiwan-based Uniglory Marine Corporation will inaugurate a new weekly Far East - Red Sea (FRS) service in mid April.

The first sailing is scheduled to be made by Uni-Assure (voyage: 0001-020W) departing Singapore on 16 April.

Uniglory is placing three of its 1164teu A-type vessels in the FRS service while Cosco will contribute one vessel of a similar size.

The port rotation will be: Port Klang - Singapore - Colombo - Aden - Jeddah - Aqaba - Port Klang.

In Port Klang and Singapore, the FRS service will link with other services operated by Uniglory and Evergreen to provide connections to many other ports throughout Asia and around the world.

In a statement, David Young, President of Uniglory Marine Corp said the new service would further strengthen the company's coverage of the Middle East market.

"With the addition of direct calls to Bandar Abbas in Iran in January, we added one important Middle East destination to our network. Now, by adding Aden in the Yemen Republic plus Aqaba in Jordan, there are two more new countries in the Uniglory network. Jeddah too increases the options available to shippers of cargo to Saudi Arabia; we have of course served the Saudi Gulf port of Dammam for many years, " he added.