ZIM Launches 12-Day Direct Container Express Service from Shanghai to Los Angeles

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 30, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. (an Israeli container shipping company) announced the launch of the ZX3 express service (Shanghai–Xiamen–Los Angeles direct container route), scheduled to commence in December 2026 and operated exclusively by ZIM. The port rotation is Xiamen–Shanghai–Los Angeles–Xiamen; the direct transit from Shanghai to Los Angeles is 12 days, and from Xiamen to Los Angeles 15 days. ZIM describes the 15-day Xiamen–Los Angeles transit as the best in the market.

The ZX3 operational loop is concentrated at both end ports. On the China end, both Shanghai and Xiamen are arranged for direct berthing upon vessel arrival; ZIM states that this arrangement expands its express network coverage in key Chinese markets. On the Los Angeles end, ZX3 calls at the West Basin Container Terminal (WBCT), with dedicated berths, dedicated yard space, and a pickup corridor; cargo is scheduled to arrive on Mondays, and after discharge it is loaded directly onto ZIM-dedicated chassis for immediate pickup, with no appointment or queuing required. Rail connections cover U.S. inland destinations including New York, Chicago, Memphis, Dallas, and Kansas City; ZIM lists rail connections as a supporting component of this express service.

With the addition of ZX3, ZIM's trans-Pacific express network comprises three services—ZEX, ZX2, and ZX3—offering a combined 7 weekly sailings from China and Vietnam to the U.S. West Coast. The ZX2 service in the same network previously deployed five 4,200 TEU-class vessels on the Shanghai–Ningbo–Los Angeles loop; this configuration may serve as a vessel-type reference for the same express network but does not constitute confirmed capacity deployment for ZX3.