Maersk Line and MSC are to suspend their direct Far East – Black Sea ‘AE-3/Great Sea’ service, which is part of a ‘2M’ pendulum that also includes a transpacific string.
The Black Sea ports will then be served by feeders via Istanbul for Maersk and from the new Tekirdag ‘Asyaport’ terminal for MSC, with connections offered by both carriers on the revised version of the 2M’s ‘AE-15/Tiger’ service. The change will become effective starting from the first week of November.
The suspension of the ‘AE-3/Great Sea’ FE-Black Sea leg of the pendulum service will release nine of the 15 ships of 4,800-5,500 teu currently deployed, all operated by Maersk Line. The current service fleet includes chartered units that are expected to redelivered at the end of their current voyages.
The ‘AE-3/Great Sea’ is the smallest of the five 2M Far East-Med services, with the remaining four services operated with ships of 9,500 to 14,000 teu.
In parallel with the closure of the ‘AE-3/Great Sea’ service’s Asia to Black Sea leg, a number of changes to the remaining loops will be implemented in November:
AE-15/Tiger : 11 x 14,000 teu ships calling at Istanbul-Evyap, Tekirdag (Asyaport), Istanbul-Ambarli, Piraeus, Port Said (SCCT), King Abdullah, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Chiwan, Qingdao, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Chiwan, Singapore, King Abdullah, Istanbul-Evyap (calls at Beirut and Piraeus are dropped from the rotation).
AE-11/Jade : 11 x 13,000-14,000 teu ships calling at Marsaxlokk, Barcelona, Valencia, La Spezia, Gioia Tauro, King Abdullah, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Chiwan, Xiamen, Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Nansha, Chiwan, Yantian, Singapore, Marsaxlokk.
AE-12/Phoenix : 15 x 9,500-11,600 teu ships calling at Port Said (SCCT), Haifa, Koper, Trieste, Rijeka, Gioia Tauro (new), Port Said (SCCT), King Abdullah, Salalah, Tanjung Pelepas, Cai Mep, Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach, Oakland, Vostochny (bunkering), Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Said (SCCT).
AE-20/Dragon : 11 x 12,500-14,000 teu ships calling at Port Said (SCCT), Beirut (reinstated), Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Genoa, Fos, Barcelona, Valencia, Marsaxlokk, Salalah, Singapore, Shanghai, Dalian, Xingang, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Chiwan, Yantian, Singapore, Port Said (SCCT).
Source: Asyaport
Source: Asyaport