Services/Sailings

MSC has cancelled the launch of its new Asia-Med Phoenix service that was originally scheduled to start at the end of February 2025 but have been repeatedly delayed before the service was finally withdrawn altogether in May 2025. The Phoenix service was to turn in 15 weeks using up to 15 ships of 6,000-14,000 teu to call at Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shekou, Singapore, Iskenderun, Piraeus, Trieste, Koper, Iskenderun, Mersin, Singapore, Busan. The Phoenix service was 1 of the 6 Asia-Med services

MSC will combine their FE-ME Clanga service with the FE-USWC Sentosa service turning it into a ME-FE-USWC pendulum service. The new Sentosa - Clanga service will call at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Singapore, Karachi, Dammam, Hamad, Bahrain, Colombo, Port Klang, Singapore, Laem Chabang, Cai Mep, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach, Oakland, Yokohama, Qingdao and is expected to start from 17 May 2025 with the newly delivered 11,400 teu MSC FLORA. The Sentosa - Clanga service will turn in 112 day

MSC and Zim will withdraw 2 of their Far East-US East Coast services from May 2025 in response to the sharp drop off in China-US volumes and retain 4 of their remaining FE-USEC services with revised rotations as follows: * America/Zim Seven Seas (Z7S) : Yantian call is dropped and replaced by Haiphong as the service turns around in Vietnam and omits China. Revised rotation Colombo, Singapore, Laem Chabang, Haiphong, Cai Mep, Singapore, New York, Baltimore, Savannah, Jacksonville, Colombo from

CK Line has launched a new Busan Russia Express (BRX) service connecting Busan, Vladivostok, Busan from 4 April 2025 using the 679 teu XING LUO 7.

Ocean freight traffic slowed over the past week across Asia due to the Labour Day holidays but average freight rates largely held their ground despite the continuing market turmoil triggered by the US tariffs. Transpacific rates bucked the downward pressure as carriers moved swiftly to remove excess capacity that allowed them to secure rate hikes in both the spot and contract markets, although the rate strength is due more to an anticipated cargo surge if a Sino-US trade deal could be reached.

CMA CGM and its intra-Asia arm, CNC will extend the Bohai Manila Express (BMX) service to South Korea with new calls at Busan from 15 May 2025. The extended BMX will call at Busan, Dalian, Xingang, Qingdao, Xiamen, Shantou, Shekou, Hong Kong, Nansha, Manila(N/S), Davao, Busan turning in 35 days using 5 ships of 2,700 teu to 4,600 teu.

MSC will split its North Europe-Asia-US West Coast Swan-Sentosa service into 2 separate services with the Asia-North Europe service renamed as the Swan that will call at Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Yantian, Singapore, Sines, Le Havre, Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Aarhus, Hamburg, Antwerp, Port Klang, Singapore, Shekou, Busan from May 2025 with the Cape routing retained. The Yokohama call on the former Swan-Sentosa service will be dropped, along with eastbound calls at Laem Chabang and Vung Tau.

MSC will downgrade its Far East-US West Coast transpacific network to just 3 sailings per week, with the Orient service withdrawn from May 2025. It follows the earlier the suspension of the Mustang service launch in February. The Orient service called at Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Long Beach, Oakland, Busan, Qingdao turning in 6 weeks using up to 6 ships of 8,000 to 15,000 teu. The last sailing was made by the 14,952 teu MSC ORION that departed from Busan from 21 April 2025 and 11,037 teu CAPE

SITC will launch a new Far East-India Express 3 (FIE3) service from 10 May 2025 calling at Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Batam, Haldia, Shanghai. The new FIE3 service will turn in 4 weeks and will deploy 4 ships of 1,700-1,800 teu starting with the 1,781 teu SITC JUNDE at Shanghai on 10 May 2025.

SITC will launch a new China Malaysia Express (CMX) service from 13 May 2025 calling at Shekou, Kuantan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou. The CMX will turn in 4 weeks and will deploy 4 ships of 1,032-1,150 teu starting with the 1,032 teu SITC HAKATA at Shekou on 13 May 2025. The service retains the current port rotation of the current Malaysia-India-Myanmar (MIM) service with the name changed to reflect the omission of India and Myanmar. The 4 ships of 1,700-1,800 teu on the MIM service is re