MSC and Maersk will be changing 10 of their service rotations between Europe and Far East next year in March. As a result thereof Antwerp will receive an extra port call connection with Vietnamese major seaport Cai Mep.
Both major container carriers will operate 6 additional ships in order to improve their timely schedules. Although the vessels will operate at a lower speed, it will prevent further delays on arrival time and dates through bad weather conditions or congestion as flexibility will be improved drastically.
Antwerp, first port of call
Antwerp will remain on the sailing schedule for three out of six weekly services between Far East and Europe. Antwerp remain first port of call in the AE/Lion Service. Both AE2/Swan Service and AE7/Condor continue to call Antwerp in their schedules.
What about Rotterdam and Le Havre?
For Rotterdam the overall situation remains unchanged. Although there will be made an extra port call with the AE7/Condor service, the Dutch main hub is losing the AE1/Shogun service since same is cancelled from calling Rotterdam.
Also the French container port Le Havre is losing the port calls of the same AE7/Condor service but is being compensated by adding Le Havre as second port of call in the rotation of the AE6/Lion Service.
What about other ports?
Maltese Marsaxlokk and Chinese Qingdao are both fully deleted from the schedules whereas Mediterranean ports Le Spezia and Gioia Taura drop down to only 2 remaining loops.
New ports of call?
The reshuffling of the 2M vessels rotation is benefitting some newcomers in the sailing schedule.
Beside Cai Mep, also Nansha and Yokohoma will be included in the AE1/Shogun service. Abu Dhabi is also included in the schedules of the AE20/Dragon service besides Jebel Ali.
