Maersk extends Asia-Port Said loop to Turkey

   The liner shipping company Maersk Line has extended its weekly Asia-Port Said shuttle AE5 beyond Port Said to Turkey and has added a call in Nansha, China. 
   Calls at Izmir and Istanbul in Turkey are now added as a new spoke from Maersk’s Suez hub at Port Said. 
   The AE5 now has a rotation of Ningbo, Shanghai, Yantian, Nansha, Tanjung Pelepas, Jeddah, Port Said, Izmir, Istanbul, Port Said, Xiamen, and Ningbo.
   Maersk subsidiary Safmarine and CMA CGM take slots on the loop and the number of ships has been increased from six to eight, averaging 5,580 TEUs. Round voyage time has increased from 42 days to 56 days.
   The AE5 gives Maersk a new direct call at Izmir from Asia. It already calls at Istanbul on its AE3 loop from Asia, operated jointly with CMA CGM. ComPair Data, Ben Meyer