MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Co (MSC) and Hapag-Lloyd are preparing to jointly launch a new loop between north Europe and the east coast of South America from September 27 that will be operated by nine vessels with an average capacity of 9,000 TEU.
MSC has branded the new service, NWC/SAEC, while Hapag-Lloyd is calling it the ECX, reported American Shipper.
The port rotation is: Rotterdam, London Gateway, Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre, Sines, Rio Sepetiba, Santos, Navegantes, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio Grande, Navegantes, Paranagua, Santos, Rio Sepetiba, Salvador, Pecem and Rotterdam.
Each ship deployed on the new loop will be fitted with 1,325 reefer plugs. MSC will provide five of the vessels and Hapag-Lloyd four.
As a result of this new service, MSC and Hapag-Lloyd will be consolidating their existing operations on the trade, combining their volumes from a current loop they jointly operate, and coming off of a Hamburg Sud operated service, which they both currently purchase slots on, a Hapag-Lloyd spokesperson was cited as saying.
MSC and Hapag-Lloyd's jointly operated service that will be consolidated into the upcoming service is referred to as the NWC TO SAEC - String I by MSC and the BLX by Hapag-Lloyd.
Ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting shows the loop deploys seven vessels averaging 5,720 TEU and has a rotation of: Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Le Havre, Lisbon, Sines, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranagua, Navegantes, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Pecem and Antwerp.
