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Maersk and MSC adjust their routes to cope with disruptions in the Red Sea, effective in February.
2024-01-31
The situation in the Red Sea continues to escalate. Recently, Houthi rebels launched their first direct attack on a US warship and also struck a British oil tanker with a missile, causing it to catch fire. International shipping continues to be severely disrupted; trade through the Suez Canal has decreased by 42% in the past two months, with a particularly significant impact on container shipping.
The latest data released by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange on January 26 shows that compared to the previous week, China's export container freight index rose by 9%, while European routes saw a 12.9% increase. The European Committee on Agriculture and Agricultural Trade estimates that the Red Sea crisis could impact the EU's agricultural imports and exports by €70 billion.
MSC adjusts routes to cope with disruptions caused by the Red Sea crisis
In light of the current situation in the Red Sea, MSC has temporarily suspended all eastbound and westbound transit through the Suez Canal. This decision has forced all vessels to detour to the Cape of Good Hope, having a wide-ranging impact on global shipping networks.
To mitigate the impact of this diversion on shipping schedules, MSC has stated that it is adjusting its east-west routes. These adjustments include changes to voyage numbers and rotation systems, and an increase in the number of vessels, all aimed at minimizing disruption to shipping and ensuring more efficient passage through the Cape of Good Hope.
The updated rotation schedule will be officially implemented in early February.
01Condor:
Ningbo, China – Shanghai, China – Nansha, China – Yantian, China – Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia – Colombo, Sri Lanka – Tangiermead, Morocco – Felixstowe, UK – Hamburg, Germany – Antwerp, Belgium – London Gate, UK – Le Havre, France – Tangier, Morocco – Abu Dhabi, UAE – Jebel Ali, UAE
02Griffin:
Shanghai, China – Ningbo, China – Xiamen, China – Tanjong Pelepas, Malaysia – Felixstowe, UK – Rotterdam, Netherlands – Le Havre, France – Tangier, Morocco – Colombo, Sri Lanka – Singapore
03Jade:
Qingdao, China – Busan, South Korea – Ningbo, China – Shanghai, China – Xiamen, China – Nansha, China – Yantian, China – Singapore – Valencia, Spain – Barcelona, Spain – Gioia Tauro, Italy – Tangiermede, Morocco – Singapore – Yantian, China
04Phoenix:
China New Port – Dalian, China – Busan, South Korea – Shanghai, China – Shekou, China – Singapore – Port Said, Egypt – Koper, Slovenia – Trieste, Italy – Rijeka, Croatia – Trieste, Italy – Tangier, Morocco – Mediterranean – Singapore
05Tiger:
Busan, South Korea – Shanghai, China – Ningbo, China – Shekou, China – Singapore – Port Said, Egypt – Yarima, Turkey – Istanbul, Turkey – Tekilda, Turkey – Port Said, Egypt – Abu Dhabi, UAE – Jebel Ali, UAE – Singapore – Shekou, China
06Dragon:
Dalian, China – Busan, South Korea – Shanghai, China – Ningbo, China – Yantian, China – Singapore – Gioia Tauro, Italy – Genoa, Italy – La Spezia, Italy – Fosse-Maritime, France – Barcelona, Spain – Valencia, Spain – Sines, Portugal – Mundra, India – Nava Sheva, India – Colombo, Sri Lanka – Singapore
07Empire:
China Yantian - Xiamen, China - Ningbo, China - Shanghai, China - Busan, South Korea - Panama - New York, USA - Norfolk, USA - Baltimore, USA - Colombo, USA - Tanjung Pelepas, Sri Lanka, Malaysia - China Yantian
In addition, MSC noted that the itineraries for Albatros, Silk, Lion, Swan, America, Emerald, Elephant, and Santana remain unchanged. However, rounding the Cape of Good Hope will result in longer transit times.
As the Red Sea crisis intensifies, Maersk adjusts its shipping network.
In response to the growing Red Sea crisis, Danish shipping giant Maersk announced a major overhaul of its shipping network covering trade with India and the Middle East.
Maersk has launched a new route between Colombo and the subcontinent to support the transshipment of Mediterranean goods. The service will commence on February 5th and will operate on a rotating schedule to Salalah, Colombo, Enor, Colombo, and Salalah.
"In Colombo, we will connect to Europe via the AE7 service and to the Far East via the AE55 service," Maersk said in a customer consultation. "Both services include a western Mediterranean hub, providing connections to Northern Europe."
In addition, Maersk announced four new services to address the escalating Red Sea crisis and to strengthen its internal network in West Asia, connecting goods from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean through the Gulf region.
Starting February 5th, new Gulf services will be available via Salalah (Oman), Jebel Ali (UAE), Doha (Qatar), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), Jubail (Saudi Arabia), Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Duqm (Oman), and Salalah.
Starting February 9th: Arabian Sea Service will call at Salalah, Jebel Ali, Qasim Port (Pakistan), Pipav (India), Nawashewa (India) and Salalah.
Starting February 21, the Red Sea-Western Mediterranean route will call at Port Said (Egypt), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), King Abdullah Port (Saudi Arabia), Port Said (Egypt), Barcelona (Spain), Tangier (Morocco), Algeciras (Spain), Vadod (Italy), and Port Said.
Starting February 18th, the Red Mediterranean Service will call at ports including Jeddah, Port Said, Tangier, and Port Said. Maersk stated, "To address the challenges posed by the situation in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden, we are strengthening our coverage along the west coast of Asia."
At the same time, Maersk also announced a series of changes to the ports of call on its Asia-Europe routes, much of which were due to the cancellation of ports in the Middle East.
In another report, Maersk stated, "The situation in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden and surrounding areas is highly volatile, and security risks remain at a very high level. Due to the continued deterioration of the situation, adjustments have been made to the Asia-Europe shipping routes."
The adjusted ports of call for voyage AE11 are Qingdao, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Nansha, Yantian, Singapore, Valencia, Barcelona, Gioia Tauro, Tangier, Singapore, Yantian, and Qingdao.
The adjusted ports of call for the new AE12 voyage are: Xinhang, Dalian, Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shekou, Singapore, Port Said, Koper, Trieste, Rijeka, Trieste, Tangier, Singapore, and Xinhang.
The adjusted AE15 voyage will call at Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Port Said, Yarimka, Istanbul, Asya, Port Said, Abu Dhabi, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Shekou, and Busan.
Maersk anticipates longer transit times on its AE5, AE10, and AE6 routes, while the ports of call on these routes will remain unchanged.
Other changes include skipping Jeddah on AE7 voyages and skipping Salalah and King Abdullah (eastbound) on AE55 voyages, while adding Colombo.
Article source: Shipping Network