Emirates Shipping Line (ESL), a Dubai-based operator, is withdrawing from the transpacific market, citing a decline in freight rates as the primary reason for this strategic shift. The company will cease operations on its Sun Chief Express (SCX) service, which linked the Vietnamese ports of Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong with Shekou in southern China and Seattle on the US West Coast. The final sailing for the SCX service is scheduled for March 20, with the 2,381 TEU vessel ESL Mombasa marking the last departure.