Zim, China Shipping confirm Asia-Eastern Med direct link

Zim, China Shipping confirm Asia-Eastern Med direct link    Zim Integrated Shipping Services confirmed that it will start a joint, direct service in January between the Far East and ports in the eastern Mediterranean, in cooperation with China Shipping Container Lines.
   The “Asia-Black Sea Express” (ABX) service will use eight vessels of 2,500-TEU capacity. It will have a rotation of Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Port Kelang, Damietta (Egypt), Piraeus (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), Constantza (Romania), Port Kelang and Tianjin.
   The service will commence with sailings every two weeks, before moving to a weekly frequency during the second quarter.
   “The new service is expected to meet the growing demand and the market needs for direct sailings between the Far East and the East Med and the Black Sea ports,” Zim said.
   Mediterranean Shipping Co., CMA CGM, Norasia, COSCO and a handful of other carriers have also introduced direct services between the Far East and ports in the eastern Mediterranean, replacing former transshipment services.