New / enhanced ocean services

Advance Container Lines launches new East Mediterranean service; CMA CGM launches new Asia – Indian Ocean Islands – South Africa service, OOCL upgrades Scandinavian Express service; MOL revamps India – Karachi service.
 

Singapore-based Advance Container Lines (ACL) will launch a new East Mediterranean Feeder (MS1) service on May 20th from Damietta in Egypt.

This service will deploy one vessel on a seven-day round trip with fixed day calls at: Damietta (Egypt) > Beirut (Lebanon) > Lattakia (Syria) > Mersin (Turkey) > Damietta (Egypt).

This service is ACL’s first foray into the Mediterranean and is launched in response to customers‘ needs with a special focus on connectivity into the East Mediterranean hubbing at Damietta.

CMA CGM has launched a new service – the Shaka Express – linking Asia, Indian Ocean Islands and South Africa.

This new weekly service will deploy six 4,500 – 6,500 TEU vessels, and will enable CMA CGM to meet the growing market demand of South Africa, as more than 30% of the country’s trade is with Asia.

The service provides:

• New reefer capacity for exports from Durban and Port Elizabeth (Nqura) to Singapore and Hong Kong, a trade on which refrigerated goods represent about 20% of the containerised volumes.

• Connections with CMA CGM’s global network of lines via Hong Kong for cargo to and from North China.

• Northbound and Southbound calls in Port Louis, allowing relay of cargo to and from all Indian Ocean Islands via the connection with the CMA CGM Mascareignes service (linking Gulf, Pakistan and Indian Ocean).

• Port rotation: Fuzhou > Xiamen > Kaohsiung > Hong Kong > Chiwan > Singapore > Port Louis > Durban > Port Elizabeth (Ngqura) > Port Louis > Singapore > Fuzhou.

CMA CGM now has four services a week calling in South Africa.

OOCL has upgraded its existing SBX service with the addition of a sixth 1,000 TEU vessel that will be deployed directly into the SBX1 network, and the SBX2 network will be upgraded from two to three vessels.

The overall capacity increase across the entire SBX network will be 20%. 

Kotka will be added to the SBX2 rotation, in addition to a second call at St Petersburg (Petrolesport). The service will maintain three weekly calls to St. Petersburg First Container Terminal.

SBX1 port rotation: Rotterdam > Antwerp > St. Petersburg > Gdynia > Gothenburg > Hamburg > Gdynia > St. Petersburg > Rotterdam.

SBX2 port rotation: Hamburg > St. Petersburg > Kotka > Rauma > Gavle > Bremerhaven > Hamburg > Klaipeda > St. Petersburg > Hamburg.

Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) is upgrading its Singapore – Nhava Sheva – Karachi (NKX) service into two new loops: NCX linking China and Nhava Sheva, and KPX connecting Singapore with Pipavav and Karachi.

NCX will be MOL’s first direct service linking Shanghai and Shenzhen, China, and Nhava Sheva on India’s west coast.

KPX will serve Karachi, Pakistan, and Pipavav on India’s west coast.

Effective May 19th, NCX will deploy four 2,500 TEU vessels on the following port rotation: Shanghai > Da Chan Bay > Hong Kong > Singapore > Nhava Sheva > Port Kelang > Singapore > Shanghai.