Having started as a shipowner in 1968, Dr Chang Yung-fa has built the Evergreen Group into a major international organisation whose affiliate companies are active in shipping and port operations, aviation, road transport, hotels and a variety of service-oriented companies.
The original company, Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan), and various other affiliates form one of the largest container shipping groups in the world. Including owned vessels, newbuildings and tonnage chartered in longterm, the Evergreen Group fleet will stand at around 150 ships totalling over 400,000 TEU by the end of 2002.
The high volume routes operated by Evergreen link North America, Asia and Europe but the service network has progressively embraced more and more of the globe, the latest region being the West Coast of South America, added in May 2002. Feeder services extend Evergreen's service into hundreds of minor ports while intermodal road, rail and river barge services take Evergreen's containers far inland, right to the customers' premises.