US Lines (USL) has announced it has commenced calls at the container terminal operated by TraPac's berth 30 in Oakland.

The development follows the introduction in February of a direct weekly call at Oakland on the carrier's Australia/New Zealand and transpacific services, a move that expands USL coverage up the California coast.

Vessels will arrive in Oakland from Australasia, Hong Kong and south China each Monday, departing Tuesday for Los Angeles before proceeding southbound for Tauranga, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. This schedule will shift the departure from Los Angeles from Thursday to Friday, and offer exporters a late-week cutoff. Transit times throughout the network will remain the same, a statement from USL said.

When USL first launched its ANZL service last July the schedule was designed to include adequate buffer time to allow for unexpected delays to maintain schedule integrity. Now that the number of customers demanding the service has grown, the carrier said it believes the time is right to add a direct vessel call in Oakland.

USL is a wholly owned subsidiary of US Lines Holdings. With North American operations centred in California's Santa Ana, USL provides liner and logistics services in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and North America.