A specialist in the container feeder trade, Regional Container Lines (RCL) is based in Bangkok, Thailand. The company owns 45,000 containers (TEUs) and leases another 35,000.
RCL has a fleet of 26 container ships ranging from about 500 teu to 2,500 teu, and has three more vessels on order. “We plan to order additional ships in the size range 3,400 to 4,200 teu,” says Sumate Tanthuwanit, CEO and President of the RCL Group.
“The major route for our vessels is between Thailand and Singapore. The port of Singapore is the biggest container hub in this part of the world and the regional trade to and from this hub is huge and expanding rapidly. We are the largest operator here in this trade, and are actually the fifth largest operator in the region. Most of the crew on our vessels are from Thailand, with a few also coming from Indonesia. However, the competition for crew these days is a challenge for us as it is for most other operators in this part of the region,” says Tanthuwanit. “Our whole fleet consists of 45 owned and operated ships, and to serve our customers region wide, we have a network of 54 offices made up of fully owned or agent setups.”
RCL’s trade concentrates on Asia. CEO Sumate Tanthuwanit summarises the company’s success: “Looking back on the success story of RCL’s more than 29 years in business, this was possible and realised through the efforts of a team of dedicated staff. From the first chartered vessel in the Bangkok–Singapore trade to the present network of services with a young and modern fleet of both owned and chartered vessels, we have always kept our pledge to build up an efficient, reliable and strongly customer-orientated service package that in itself convinces our customers of our ability to find our place among the leading feeder and liner companies in Asia.
“The relationship between the main lines and the intra-Asia carriers like RCL is complementary in nature. While long-haul carriers concentrate on larger ports like Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong, RCL’s focus is on the region. Steady growth and service expansion across the region provide commercially viable business opportunities that benefit both customers and RCL.” Basically this says it all about RCL’s success and expansion plans for the future – to be the elite leading regional provider of services. The third quarter 2007 results prove this point: the group’s shipper-owned container (SOC) movements were up 17 per cent compared to 2006, while the carrier-owned container (COC) movements rose by seven per cent. No wonder RCL has plans for additional container vessels in the 3,400 to 4,200 teu range to meet future demand.