UWL and ESL Expand Sun Chief Express to Weekly Sailings in 2026, Bringing Enhanced Schedule Reliability

Cleveland, OH — UWL, Inc. and Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) announce that the Sun Chief Express service will transition from a fortnightly rotation to weekly sailings beginning June 2026. The move reflects rising demand across Vietnam and Southeast Asia, and a shared commitment to creating a faster, more predictable supply chain.

With an 18-day transit from Ho Chi Minh City and a 15-day transit from Shekou to Seattle, weekly frequency will give customers a more stable planning foundation and support compressed production cycles for US importers and exporters. Participating customers will benefit from: 

• A reliable, fixed weekly departure with no blank sailings
• Industry-leading speed-to-shelf and improved capital recovery
• Scalable capacity as sourcing volumes grow
• Better long-term planning supported by synchronized inland connections

To support the shift to weekly service, ESL will introduce three new vessels into its fleet, expanding overall capacity and reinforcing the long-term development of the Sun Chief Express network. “This expansion underscores our commitment to the Sun Chief Express network and the customers who rely on it,” noted Sushil Sriram, Chief Trade Officer of ESL. “This investment allows us to deliver the consistency and predictability importers need as supply chains continue to demand greater reliability.”

The additional tonnage enables Sun Chief to sustain fixed-day weekly departures, repeatable transit times, and consistent inland connectivity as volumes grow across Vietnam and South China. 

Duncan Wright, President of UWL, reiterated the customer momentum “Even through a year marked by transition, our customers remain forward-looking as Vietnam grows as a central sourcing hub —actively encouraging us to expand the product to unlock even greater reliability and capacity.” 

As part of this effort, UWL is strengthening origin offices, feeder and rail connections, and commercial support to reinforce the end-to-end express model. With the move to weekly frequency, the service will also transition Haiphong cargo to a feeder connection via Shekou, leveraging an improved hub-and-spoke structure to optimize cargo flow across key regional outports and provide industry-leading transit times.

With strategic commitments in Vietnam and across North America, this shift positions Sun Chief Express for long-term scalability built on speed, reliability, and repeatable transit performance. 

For more information, please contact: 
Media Contact: Emily Hunger emily.hunger@worlgrouplogistics.com