UWL and Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) will upgrade the Sun Chief Express service to weekly sailings starting in June 2026. The move responds to growing demand from Vietnam and Southeast Asia and aims to deliver stronger schedule reliability.
The service will shift from a fortnightly rotation to a fixed weekly schedule. Transit times will remain competitive at 18 days from Ho Chi Minh City and 15 days from Shekou to Seattle. The increased frequency will give shippers greater predictability and support faster production and inventory cycles.
Customers will benefit from fixed weekly departures with no blank sailings. The service will offer faster speed-to-shelf, scalable capacity, and improved long-term planning through synchronized inland connections.
To support the expansion, ESL will add three new vessels to its fleet. The additional capacity will enable consistent weekly departures, repeatable transit times, and reliable inland connectivity as volumes grow across Vietnam and South China.
ESL Chief Trade Officer Sushil Sriram said the investment reinforces the company’s long-term commitment to the Sun Chief Express network and to delivering the consistency importers increasingly demand.
UWL President Duncan Wright highlighted strong customer support for the expansion, noting Vietnam’s growing role as a key sourcing hub and the need for greater reliability and capacity.
As part of the upgrade, UWL is strengthening origin operations, feeder services, rail connections, and commercial support. Haiphong cargo will transition to a feeder connection via Shekou, improving cargo flow through a hub-and-spoke model.
The shift to weekly sailings positions Sun Chief Express for long-term growth, built on speed, reliability, and consistent transit performance.
