The year was in 1997. The economy of Saipan was flourishing that shipment of imported raw materials and goods from Asia, Australia and News Zealand to Micronesia was indeed frequent. Because the shipping lines were limited in number and in capacity, the situation imposed difficulty and high costs to businesses and the whole community. It was at this juncture that Mariana Express Lines, Ltd. Heeded to the need of Saipan-based entrepreneurs for weekly reliable shipping services.

The operations of MELL started with two vessels plying the route of Hong Kong, Guam, Saipan and Taiwan. With Hong Kong as the hub of operations, cargoes from the Asia Pacific and other Asian countries, Middle East, Europe and New Zealand were finally easily transported to the Island. This offered businesses more choices of products to import. Furthermore, it helped small retailers to decrease their amount of inventory due to the more frequent schedule provided by MELL. As a result, the whole community gained advantage in reduced ocean tariff by as much as 50% due to the increased volume of competitively priced products that were shipped to Saipan.

Service Beyond Expectations MELL is committed to exert unlimited efforts in finding ways to better its service for the customers. At its best, our service performance has satisfied our shipping clients by engaging ourselves with their very requirements. In doing so, we are able to fulfill a level of service that is personalized and efficient and exceeds what has been expected from us.