MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co is launching a Europe-Red Sea-Middle East Express service linking northern and southern Europe with Saudi Arabia and Jordan, reports Saint Petersburg's PortNews.

The first sailing is scheduled from Antwerp on 10 May, with an eastbound rotation covering Gdansk, Klaipeda, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Valencia, Barcelona, Gioia Tauro, Abu Kir, King Abdullah Port, Jeddah, and Aqaba. MSC stated that the service responds to growing demand under a challenging scenario in the Middle East, shifting Gulf-bound cargo flows onto a Red Sea gateway model.

Containers will be discharged at Red Sea ports and moved inland across Saudi Arabia, with final delivery into Gulf markets handled by feeder vessels. This move embeds landbridge logistics into the carrier's core network as regional shipping routes are reconfigured.

MSC has previously declared an End of Voyage for Gulf-bound cargo, discharging containers at the nearest safe seaport with onward transport handled separately. The new rotation transforms that approach into a fixed service linking Europe directly with Gulf markets through multimodal chains.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co is a privately owned container shipping group headquartered in Geneva. The company operates a global liner network and has expanded into integrated logistics, terminal operations, and cruise shipping through affiliated businesses.