Maersk speeds up Masiika Express, drops Sharjah

   After nearly two months on a six-week rotation, ocean carrier Maersk Line has increased the speed of its weekly Middle East-to-East Africa Masiika Express service and dropped a call at Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. 
   Roundtrip voyage time on the service has decreased from 42 days to 35 days, and transit times westbound from the Middle East to East Africa on the Masiika Express have improved by about seven days, now taking 18 days from Dubai to Mombasa, Kenya. 
   American Shipper reported July 13, 2012, that Maersk extended the loop to include a call at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and slowed it to a six-week roundtrip voyage time to ensure port coverage following the termination of its other Middle East-to-East Africa service, the Dar Express. 
   The revised rotation of the Masiika Express is Dubai, Salalah, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Salalah, and Dubai. The service is currently operated by five Maersk vessels with an average capacity of 2,040 TEUs. Subsidiary Safmarine continues to purchase slots. 
   Maersk only offers one other service with a direct call at Dar es Salaam, its dedicated Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas-Mombasa and Dar es Salaam service, the Mashariki Express, which the carrier also slowed back in July 2012 (reported by American Shipper July 9). –BlueWater Reporting, Ben Meyer