by Priya Radünzel, SeaNewsEditor
Container shipping companies adjust their services in response to market dynamics and operational hurdles. Stay informed of upcoming changes with Kuehne+Nagel's carrier service update, published bi-weekly on Sea News and seaexplorer.
Hapag-Lloyd expands West African service offerings
Hapag-Lloyd announced changes to its West African network, including increasing capacity and adding two new services. In addition, ports Lome, Togo and Onne, Nigeria, have been added to the network. The changes are as follows:
- Carrier service name: WA1
- Port rotation: Tanger Med - Dakar - Abidjan - Tanger Med
- First sailing: AS Cypria, ETA Tanger Med 24 February
- Carrier service name: WA2 (NEW)
- Port rotation: Tanger Med - Nouakchott - Conakry - Freetown - Monrovia - Tanger Med
- First sailing: Ulanga V, ETA Tanger Med 22 February
- Carrier service name: WA3 (NEW)
- Port rotation: Tanger Med - Banjul - Tanger Med
- First sailing: Contship Lex V., ETA Tanger Med 17 February
- Carrier service name: WAX
- Port rotation: Tanger Med - Tema - Lome - Cotonou - Lagos (Tincan / Apapa) - Onne - Tanger Med
- First sailing: Ionikos V, ETA Tanger Med, 21 February
- Carrier service name: WWA
- Port rotation: Antwerp - Le Havre- Lisbon - Tanger Med - Tema - Pointe Noire - Luanda - Tema - Antwerp
- First sailing: Spirit of Singapore V, ETA Tanger Med, 20 February.
Hapag-Lloyd adds that its West African hubs in Pointe Noire, Congo, and Luanda, Angola, will maintain connectivity with ports across the region, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea.
New & revised services
Europe-North America
In March, CMA CGM will revise the rotation of its Panama Direct Line, which connects North America, Europe, and the US East Coast with Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific Islands. A port call will be added at Zeebrugge, and Manzanillo will be replaced with Cartagena.
- Carrier service name: RTWPAN
- Port rotation: Tauranga - Cartagena - Savannah - Philadelphia - Zeebrugge - Rotterdam - London Gateway - Dunkirk - Le Havre - New York - Savannah - Kingston - Papeete - Noumea - Brisbane - Sydney - Melbourne - Tauranga.
- First sailing: Cape Skagen, ETD Zeebrugge, 23 March
Indian Subconitent↔Europe
From mid-March, Hapag Lloyd and Maersk will call Hamburg instead of Bremerhaven on their service between the Indian Subcontinent and Europe.
- Port rotation: Rotterdam - London Gateway - Hamburg - Tangier - Colombo - Ennore (Chennai) - Colombo - Algeciras - Rotterdam
- First sailing: Maersk Stadelhorn, ETA Hamburg 21 March
Intra-Mediterranean
Hapag-Lloyd announced changes to its Adriatic Sea Express Service, which connects Egypt and the Adriatic. The new rotation with limited port calls will complement the Gemini Network's SE1 service between Port Said, Koper, and Rijeka.
- Carrier service name: Adriatic Sea Express Service (ADX)
- Port rotation: Port Said - Venice - Ancona - Port Said
- First sailing (ADX): Little Emma, ETA Port Said 28 March
- First sailing (SE1): Maersk Campbell, ETA Port Said 24 March
North America↔South and Central America
Maersk announced its vessels on the WCCA2 service will call Manzanillo, Mexico, on their northbound rotation starting this month. The revised service is as follows:
- Carrier service name: WCCA2
- Port rotation: Balboa - Puerto Caldera - Puerto Quetzal - Manzanillo - Port Hueneme - Long Beach - Lazaro Cardenas - Puerto Quetzal - Corinto - Balboa
For more point-to-point service options, including transit times across major ocean carriers, refer to seaexplorer.
