Taiwan's Hanjin Shipping has announced that it is upgrading its Far East to US East Coast (USEC) loop via Suez from April 24 by increasing ship sizes from 4,300-TEU to 5,500-TEU. Its AWE-5 (All Waters East Coast-5) service, which covers the Far East and USEC is currently operated by Hanjin Shipping and Yang Ming Line with nine 4,250-4,300-TEU class ships.From the end of April, Cosco will join as a new partner and the vessels will be replaced with nine 5,500-TEU ships, three of which will be deployed by Hanjin.The AWE-5 rotation will be Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Yantian, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore (Suez Canal) New York, Norfolk, Boston, (Suez Canal), Singapore and back to Kaohsiung, according to Exim News Service.