San Antonio Terminal Internacional (STI) has reached a new milestone with the arrival of the first PIL vessel under the WS6 service.
The Kota Santos is set to complete 1,600 container movements, including 800 loading and 800 unloading operations.
Pacific International Lines (PIL), the shipping company leading the service, highlighted the importance of this new connection and the collaboration with STI.
The WS6 service, a direct link between Asia and the west coast of South America, is the result of a strategic alliance between major shipping lines PIL, Wan Hai Lines, and Yang Ming Line.
Operating on an 11-week rotation, the service will deploy 11 vessels with capacities ranging from 4,600 to 8,500 TEU.
According to STI, the route includes port calls at Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao, Busan, Ensenada, Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas, Puerto Quetzal, Buenaventura, Callao, and San Antonio, before returning to Ningbo.
STI General Manager, Andres Albertini, said: “The selection of STI as a key port for WS6 underlines the confidence of major shipping lines in the operational efficiency and strategic capacity of our terminal to handle large-scale services connecting global markets.”
PIL’s Regional Manager for Latin America, Nicolás Romero, stated: “We are proud to start this collaboration with STI, which has an efficient and privileged location which is fundamental for the success of this route that will strengthen the commercial connections between Asia and South America, offering our customers a reliable and competitive option.”
In December 2024, STI passed the 1 million TEU mark for the 13th consecutive year.