The 2M shipping line alliance has confirmed that Liverpool will become a permanent call on its TA4 service connecting Europe with several US ports.
The move follows the introduction of a temporary call in July 2018 resulting from continued disruption at the Port of Felixstowe.
The service is currently used to export UK cargo such as food produce and retail, but also is attracting interest for trade in manufacturing and industrial goods.
One of the companies using the service is YKK (U.K.) Ltd, the global manufacturer of zips and industrial fastenings, for refilling spools of metal in the US which are then returned to its Runcorn facility for making into specialist automotive parts used around the world.
The service will use a port rotation that takes in Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Liverpool, Newark, Savannah, Port Everglades and North Charleston.