Maersk adds Mideast/West Africa link

Maersk adds Mideast/West Africa link    Maersk said it will launch a Middle East/West Africa service on Feb. 6.
   The “MEW1” service will sail around Africa with a rotation of Pipavav, India; Jawaharlal Nehru, India; Jebel Ali Dubai, U.A.E; Algeciras, Spain; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Tema, Ghana; Apapa, Nigeria; Salalah, Oman; and Pipavav; India.
   The service will use nine vessels with 2,500-TEU capacities. The company said it was “a natural extension of our existing West Africa feeder network,” and will not add capacity, but provide a direct service for Middle East cargo by offering a weekly, direct connection from Jebel Ali and India to three main ports in West Africa.
   The company said the rest of West Africa will be served through its feeder network.