First flight in September! Hapag-Lloyd and Yixing launch new China-South America route!

Recently, Hapag-Lloyd announced that it will team up with ZIM to launch a new Asia–East Coast South America shipping route.（Asia–South America East Coast Service，AS3）。

This service is scheduled to officially launch on September 13, 2026, strengthening maritime connections between major Asian ports and the Brazilian market through a weekly operating model.

▶ Covering five major ports in China, directly connecting to the main ports on Brazil's east coast

According to the information released by Hebelot, the AS3 service will cover several key container ports in China, including Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, and Yantian.

In South America, this route will call at several important Brazilian ports: Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Itajaí, Santos, and Rio de Janeiro.

The full route rotation is as follows:

Shanghai → Ningbo → Xiamen → Hong Kong → Yantian → Rio Grande → Paranágua → Itajaí → Santos → Rio de Janeiro

The inaugural westbound flight is scheduled to depart from Shanghai on September 14, 2026, while the inaugural eastbound flight is scheduled to depart from Rio Grande on October 21, 2026.

▶ One flight a week, strengthening trade connections between China and Brazil

AS3 services will provide stable weekly connections between Asia and Brazil.

For freight forwarders and foreign trade companies, the main changes brought by the new service include:

On one hand, China’s export side has more options now.

This route covers several major export ports in East and South China, and shippers can choose to ship from ports like Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, and Yantian depending on where their cargo is coming from.

On the other hand, Brazil's destination port coverage has further expanded.

In addition to Brazil's core port Santos, AS3 also covers ports such as Rio de Janeiro, Itajaí, and Paranágua, offering more transportation options for customers in different regions.

In addition, this service can further connect to the River Plate regional market through Rio Grande.

▶AS2 and ASE existing services remain unchanged

It's worth noting that AS3 isn't meant to replace the existing South America East Coast services. The currently operating AS2 service and ASE service (Asia–South America East Coast) will remain unchanged even after AS3 is launched.

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