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The Asia-East Mediterranean (AEM) service, using seven ships of 2,500 to 3,500 TEUs, will start proper when the 2,824-TEU Ital Ottima departs Shanghai on Nov. 9. Before that, Evergreen will run another two ad-hoc sailings this month to cope with demand.
The AEM will have a port rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Hong Kong, Tanjung Pelepas, Haifa, Limassol, Piraeus, Istanbul, Tanjung Pelepas and back to Shanghai.
“The East Med ports to be called at on a direct basis by our new AEM service were previously served by feeders. However, such is the growth in cargo volumes through these ports that it is now more efficient to offer a direct service. Of course, this is also appreciated by our customers as transit times are improved by operating direct sailings,” said Jack Yen, Evergreen Marine Corp. president.
The Taipei carrier will also use the AEM service to connect with feeders serving other ports in the East Med and Black Sea.
The announcement comes a day after news of another weekly service starting in the trade with the joint East-Mediterranean/Black Sea Express (EBX) of New World Alliance members APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine, and MOL alongside Hanjin Shipping and United Arab Shipping Co., also due for a November launch. Pacific International Lines and Wan Hai Lines are also due to start a similar service that month albeit on a fortnightly basis before going weekly early next year.
Evergreen’s new service will be particularly welcomed by Israeli shippers who have seen a number of lines such as Maersk Line and China Shipping stop direct calls to the country while native carrier Zim is cutting Haifa from its Asia Mediterranean Pacific (AMP) pendulum service.
