Services/Sailings

MSC will launch a new Europe-Red Sea-Middle East Express service from 10 May 2026 calling at Gdansk, Klaipeda, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Valencia, Barcelona, Gioia Tauro, Abu Kir, King Abdullah Port, Jeddah, Aqaba. The service will operate on a single direction, using ships of 14,000 teu to 16,000 teu that will switch in and out of the rotation within the MSC network. It replaces the current West Med to Red Sea service serves the same route on a truncated basis starting from Barcelona, Valencia or G

Samudera Shipping Line has launched a new Korea-Japan Shuttle (KJS) connecting Busan, Nagoya, Kobe, Busan from 8 April 2026. The KJS service turns in 7 days on a weekly frequency using the 1,019 teu ROTTERDAM TRADER. The move marks Samudera's entry into the Northeast Asia market, expanding from its current Southeast Asia and Indian subcontinent presence.

MSC will launch a new Lekki-Lome-Lagos Feeder service connecting Lekki, Lome, Lagos, Tincan Island, Lekki from 30 May 2026 with the 3,534 teu MSC RABAT IV

MSC has relaunched its China-India Osprey extra loader service that will start on 28 April 2026 with the 5,041 teu MSC TAMPA V at Qingdao followed by the 9,200 teu MSC MADELEINE at Ningbo on 7 May and the 6,492 teu MSC AQUARIUS VII at Qingdao on 15 May. These ships will provide direct connections to Mundra to cater for the increased demand on the corridor due to the Middle East war.

Maersk will launch a new SLA Baltic Sea service connecting the Mediterranean and Baltic Sea from 11 May 2026. The SLA service will call at Tanger Med, Gdansk, Bremerhaven, Vado Ligure, Port Said, Alexandria, Tanger Med, turning in 35 days using 5 ships of 4,200 to 5,000 teu starting with the 4,822 teu MAERSK MAKUTU at Tanger Med on 11 May 2026. (Originally scheduled to launch on 4 May but delayed by 1 week)

Zhonggu will upgrade its China Red Sea Express (CRX) to a regular weekly service to call at Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, Shanghai from May 2026, with CU Lines joining as a vessel provider. The service will turn in 56 days using 8 ships of 1,700 to 2,500 teu. The service was first launched by Zhonggu in October 2025 initially with just 3 ships on an irregular frequency and have been gradually upgraded as more ships are deployed. CU Lines will operate the 2,518 teu ZHONG GU ZH

Evergreen and PIL are launching a new Far East-South Africa Express (SAF)/Ubuntu Express (UBX) service from 28 May 2026 calling at Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Shekou, Singapore, Durban, Cape Town, Singapore, Shanghai. The SAF/UBX service will turn in 63 days and deploys 9 ships of 4,800 to 5,600 teu with the first sailing scheduled to commence at Shanghai on 28 May 2026 with the 5,060 teu SC MARA.

CMA CGM will be using the Suez route in both directions on the newly launched Japan-China-North Europe Ocean Rise Express (OCR) service, allowing them to save 2 weeks on a round trip rotation compared to using the longer Cape route. The OCR service was launched on 2 April 2026 and calls at Kobe, Nagoya, Yokohama, Xiamen, Yantian, Jeddah, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Southampton, Jeddah, Nansha, Kobe. The service will turn in 84 days using the shorter Suez route and will deploy 12 ships of 8,400 to 10,00

CMA CGM is bringing back westbound Suez transits on the Europe Pakistan India Consortium (EPIC) service starting from this week with the 11,388 teu CMA CGM GEMINI that will arrive at Suez on 29 April 2026. All subsequent westbound sailings on the EPIC service are scheduled to use the Suez route, although the eastbound sailings are still taking the Cape route. The revised EPIC service connects Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Jeddah, Port Said, Tanger Med, Southampton, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp,

Akkon Lines has added a second ship to the East Africa Service (EAS) calling at Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Karachi, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Nhava Sheva with the service frequency upgraded from monthly to fortnightly. The EAS was first launched at Nhava Sheva on 13 February 2026 using a single ship, the 1,696 teu NARA on a monthly frequency until 4 April 2026 when a second ship, the 1,740 teu KONRAD was added. The service turns in 30 days on a rolling schedule with one sailing every 2 weeks.