Med Shipping, partners end direct Europe/East Africa service

Med Shipping, partners end direct Europe/East Africa service    Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Co. and other carriers of the Europe East Africa Container Service have ended their long-established direct service between northern Europe and East Africa.
   Instead, MSC will provide a transshipment service using east/west container services to carry cargo from northern Europe and the Mediterranean to Jeddah, and a new regional shuttle service to feed cargoes to and from East Africa.
   The ending of the direct service represents a further move to transshipment-based links for East Africa, where liner services to and from North America and most of Asia also require transshipment.
   The Europe East Africa Container Service had used eight ships of about 1,600 TEUs and called Antwerp, Felixstowe, Valencia, Damietta, Jeddah, Aden, Djibouti, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Djibouti, Jeddah, Yanbu, Port Said, Piraeus, Barcelona, Valencia, Antwerp and Felixstowe.
   The replacement feeder service from Jeddah will employ only three ships of about 1,500 TEUs, and call at Djibouti, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa and back to Jeddah. MSC will carry cargoes between Europe and Jeddah using its weekly Asia/Europe and Europe/Mediterranean/Red Sea/India/Pakistan services.
   H. Stinnes Linien, P&O Nedlloyd, WEC Lines had all taken slots on the Europe East Africa Container Service. WEC Lines and P&O Nedlloyd will take space on the MSC services connecting to Jeddah and on the new Jeddah to East Africa shuttle service. Stinnes' plans are not yet known.