Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The rebranding will unify Swire Shipping’s services in North America, Japan, South Korea, and China, providing customers with a more seamless experience and leveraging synergies and capabilities in containers, networks, and projects across the global Swire Shipping network.

Swire Shipping acquired Westwood in June 2022, as part of a growth strategy to expand its liner network in North America.

With a rich heritage spanning over 150 years, Swire Shipping is the wholly owned, deep-sea ship owning and operating arm of the multinational Swire group.

Headquartered in Singapore, Swire Shipping is dedicated to facilitating trade and connecting communities in regions where it operates. Connecting over 400 ports, it provides high frequency liner shipping services in the Asia Pacific markets; integrated logistics solutions in the Pacific; transpacific services between North Asia and the Pacific Northwest; and specialist shipping services to the global project logistics market under the brand name, Swire Projects.

With a worldwide agency network in addition to its own representative offices across the Asia-Pacific, Pacific Islands, North America, and Europe, Swire Shipping is committed to providing customers with dedicated service and expert market knowledge.

It is business as usual, and the rebranding has no impact to vessel operations and how we do business.

Sailing schedules, services, and routes will remain unchanged, and there has been no change to Westwood’s local partners, including sub-agents and stevedores.

There will be no changes to the terms and conditions of existing contracts.

For customer contracts, the change of legal entity name does not affect the rights and obligations of the company and the contracts do not need to be amended.

For vendor contracts, a simple contract novation may be required, and notice will be sent to vendors, as required, to legally update the contractual party from Westwood Shipping Lines to Swire Shipping.

Remittance bank account details will change. New Bank Account Details to remit payments from 1 February 2024:

Account name: SWIRE SHIPPING US INC.
Account number: 138110590385
Routing number ACH/EFT: 125000024
Routing number DOM. WIRES: 026009593
SWIFT Code: BOFAUS3N

The rebranding does not involve any modifications to the nature and structure of the company, nor will it in any way affect existing relations with customers.

The contractual counterparty on customer contracts remains Swire Shipping and all bills of lading will be issued with Swire Shipping as Carrier. The Agency name and logo branding will be the only changes.

Customers will still be able to reach their existing representatives through existing channels. There will be no change to telephone numbers and all emails sent to a Westwood email address will be automatically redirected to the corresponding Swire Shipping email for a period of 12 months till 31 Jan 2025.

A notice will shortly be sent to customers today outlining any changes to contact details.

Swire Shipping has consolidated its agency representations in Japan by bringing agency representations previously held by Ben Line Agencies (Japan) Ltd and Senwa Maritime Agency Ltd in-house.

To maintain strong customer relationships and ensure continuity, staff from Ben Line Agencies and Senwa Maritime will be transferred to the new Swire Shipping branch office.

Bringing agency representation in-house sets us apart in the Japanese market and emphasizes our commitment to customers and our confidence in the region’s growth potential. Transitioning our representation to an in-house model – a move that distinguishes us within the Japanese market – will allow us to leverage local market expertise and enable more direct engagement with our customers.