GENEVA's Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has added an extra week to the rotations of its Far East-Mediterranean Dragon and Tiger services by deploying two more 14,000-TEU ships, partly to cope with the carrier's surplus of megaships.

MSC currently has 48 ships that range in size from 12,500-14,000 TEU in its fleet.

The Dragon will turn around in 91 days, using 13 ships in the 13,800- to 14,000 TEU range, providing the longest rotation on the Far East-Med route among rival services.

The services rotate through Gioia Tauro, Valencia, Barcelona, La Spezia, Fos, Jeddah, Salalah, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Hong Kong, Dalian, Xingang, Busan, Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen-Yantian, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Singapore and back to Gioia Tauro.

Tiger ships will turn around in 77 days, using 11 vessels in the 13,000- to 14,000 TEU range. This service focuses on the eastern Med, rotating through Beirut, Piraeus, Istanbul, Evyap, Piraeus, Jeddah, Salalah, Singapore, Busan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Singapore, Jeddah and back to Beirut.

The two services will adopt slow steaming in the both directions, at an average speed of about 14 knots on the eastbound leg and about 16-18 knots on the westbound leg.