The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is changing some of its long-haul routes, to include avoiding the need for transhipment in Singapore on its New Falcon Service linking Asia and the Middle East via India.
The port rotation on the new dedicated service is: Xingang, Ningbo, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Chiwan, Tanjug Pelepas, Singapore, Colombo, Jebel Ali, Ad Dammam, Jubail, Jebel Ali, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Singapore, Nansha and Xingang.
MSC said that cargo which was booked to sail on board the previous transhipment via Singapore will now be shipped directly to the Middle East. Eight vessels of 8,000 teu will provide the service. The first scheduled sailing is by MSC Pamela, leaving Xingang in China on March 20.
The Geneva-headquartered shipping line is also modifying its Australia Express Service, which connects the island nation with Europe as far west as Valencia in Spain as well as the Indian sub-continent and the islands of Reunion and Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
The port rotation is: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, Singapore, Chennai, Colombo, King Abdullah Port (Saudi Arabia), Gioia Tauro, Valencia, Fos, La Spezia, Naples, Gioia Tauro, Suez, Pointe des Galets, Port Louis and Sydney.
SCT Zurich is due to make the inaugural sailing from Sydney on March 23. The service will be served by 12 ships of 4,800 teu capacity.
The Australia Express Service will also connect with others: the New Falcon, an altered ISES service and, through transhipment at MSC’s Mediterranean hubs of Valencia and Gioia Tauro, delivery to North Europe.
The changes to the ISES service are intended to improve transit times from Nhava Sheva and Mundra in India to North Europe. The new service is timetabled to begin when MSC Susana leaves Colombo on April 19. The full port rotation is: Colombo, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Salalah, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, Gioia Tauro and Colombo.
MSC is also planning to improve its Indus service by reducing transit time to Egypt, Turkey, Italy and Black Sea ports from Haifa in Israel.
Source: Container Management
Source: Container Management