Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced improved services between Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa that will slash transit times between West Africa and Chinese ports such as Xingang and Shanghai.
Africa Express
From the end of July, MSC’s Africa Express service will harness the capacity of 11 vessels to offer dedicated sailings between Asia and Lome. This will reduce transit times by as much as a week to destinations on the coast of West Africa. The new rotation will start on July 30, 2017 from Xingang with the MSC Laurence, voyage FY730A.
The Africa Express service will keep its current port rotation throughout Asia, and then proceed straight to Lome after calling at Colombo. India and Pakistan (IPAK) cargo is routed via Colombo, significantly improving transit times.
MSC is also reinforcing its feeder network in Lome to ensure smooth connections to all destinations. A new MSC Lome-Dakar MSC connection will complete its service from Asia and IPAK to Senegal.
Ingwe service
Meanwhile, the new Ingwe service will connect Asia with the Indian Ocean and South African markets, calling at Durban and Coega. This new trade will commence with the Mediterranean Bridge, voyage ZF731A, departing Ningbo on August 5.
Cargo on this service that originates in IPAK will also be routed via Colombo.[/vc_column_text]
