Of late Vietnam and Cambodia have become the destinations of several leading shipping lines. Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) has received approval from Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment to establish a wholly-owned company to provide container transportation and logistics services in that country, making a first for a Singapore-based company.

The new APL-NOL (Vietnam) replaces the existing joint venture. NOL's subsidiaries — APL and APL Logistics — have been providing container transportation and supply chain management services in Vietnam in association with a local shipping and logistics company, Vietfracht, since 1991. Orient Overseas Container Line too has opened two offices in Vietnam, in the capital city of Hanoi and the northern port city of Haiphong.

Meanwhile, Mitsui OSK Lines opened a new subsidiary, MOL (Cambodia), in Cambodia to handle liner business and ocean consolidation business and will take over the current functions of Global SKL Shipping, MOL's sole agent in the country.