Mediterranean Shipping starts Far East/Med loop
Mediterranean Shipping Co. has started a weekly Far East/Mediterranean loop dubbed Jade Service that American Shipper understands will connect to North Africa via the Geneva-based line’s hub in Valencia, Spain.
The Jade Service is expected to deploy seven ships of 2,500 to 4,000 TEUs although full details are sketchy as MSC’s latest schedule only shows the westbound voyage, and the carrier declined to respond to any questions. The first listed sailing was made by the 4,132-TEU MSC Ulsan from Singapore on July 3 with other ports listed being Yantian, Hong Kong, Chiwan and Valencia.
Recently MSC’s two major competitors, CMA CGM and Maersk Line, have both introduced similar services limiting Mediterranean calls to their respective transshipment hub ports. French line CMA CGM’s North Africa Express links Asia with Malta, while Maersk launched its 10th dedicated Asia/Europe service with a weekly AE11 loop connecting China and Hong Kong to Malaga and Algeciras.
