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.

MSC announces standalone service between South Africa and the US

From October 2025, MSC will terminate its partnership with Maersk on the AMEX service. While Maersk is expected to offer a transhipment route via Europe and the UK, MSC will maintain a direct connection by adding four ships to the current service.

The updated rotation will be Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) - Durban - Cape Town - New York - Baltimore - Norfolk - Charleston - Freeport - Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

During the annual citrus season, MSC will include a call in Philadelphia.

The MSC-Maersk collaboration, established in 2011, has been a vital link for South African importers and exporters.

Uncertainty around the future of the AMEX service had raised concerns among South African shippers about losing direct US access, potentially increasing costs and disrupting trade.

New & updated services

Asia↔Africa

In August, CMA CGM will launch a new Kilima Xpress service between China and East Africa.

• Carrier service name: Kilima Xpress
• Port rotation: Shanghai - Ningbo - Nansha - Singapore - Colombo - Mombasa - Dar es Salaam - Colombo - Singapore - Shanghai
• First sailing: CMA CGM Tarragona, ETD Shanghai 4 August

Asia↔North America

Starting in mid-June, MSC will re-launch its Empire service with a new rotation. This service, which was suspended in late April 2025, will continue to include ZIM as a slot charter.

• Carrier service name: Empire (MSC), ZNS (ZIM)
• Port rotation: Qingdao - Shanghai - Ningbo - New York - Norfolk - Baltimore - Jacksonville - Balboa - Busan - Qingdao
• First sailing: MSC Ludovica, ETD Qingdao, 15 June

In early June, the Premier Alliance revised the port rotation of a transpacific service by dropping the port call at Wilmington. The service is operated by ONE and HMM, with Yang Ming participating as a slot charter.

• Carrier service name: EC2 (ONE, HMM, Yang Ming)
• Port rotation: Manzanillo - Savannah - Charleston - Jacksonville - Manzanillo - Busan - Xiamen - Yantian - Ningbo - Shanghai - Busan - Manzanillo
• First sailing: ONE Ibis, ATD Manzanillo, 9 June

MSC revised its pendulum service to pair the Chinook and Clanga services instead of the Sentosa-Clanga in June. The Chinook-Clanga service will call the Pacific Northwest ports instead of the Pacific Southwest ports.

• Carrier service name: Chinook-Clanga
• Port rotation: Qingdao - Shanghai - Ningbo - Nansha - Singapore - Nhava Sheva - Dammam - Hamad - Cai Mep - Haiphong - Yantian - Ningbo - Shanghai - Qingdao - Busan - Seattle - Vancouver - Prince Rupert - Busan - Qingdao
• First sailings:

  • Westbound: MSC Charleston, ATD Qingdao,
  • Eastbound MSC Luciana ATD Cai Mep on 9 June

 Asia↔South and Central America

In early June, ZIM added a call in Xiamen to its ZAT service, covering Asia to West Coast South America.

• Carrier service name: ZAT
• Port rotation: Shanghai - Ningbo - Xiamen - Da Chan Bay - Buenaventura - Guayaquil - Callao - San Antonio - Tianjin Xingang - Qingdao - Shanghai
• First sailing: Sparrow, ATD Shanghai, 10 June

Europe↔South and Central America

In late May, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM, and COSCO revised the northbound rotation on their South America West Coast service. Manzanillo (PA) was removed, and berth windows in Cartagena and Caucedo were adjusted. Additionally, the service will call at the DDE (Hutchison Port ECT Delta) terminal in Rotterdam next week.

• Carrier service name: SWX (Hapag-Lloyd), EUROSAL XL - WCC (CMA CGM), EWX (COSCO)
• Port rotation: Rotterdam - London Gateway - Hamburg - Antwerp - Caucedo - Cartagena - Manzanillo - Buenaventura - Posorja - Callao - San Antonio - Callao - Posorja - Cartagena - Caucedo - Rotterdam
• First sailing: CMA CGM Estelle, ATD Posorja 30 May

Intra Asia

PIL, HMM, and X-Press Feeders will launch a new service in mid-June 2025 to connect Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.

• Carrier service name: PIL (NCI), HMM (NIS) and X-Press Feeders (NJX)
• Port rotation: Tianjin Xingang - Qingdao - Xiamen - Singapore - Jakarta - Surabaya - Singapore - Tianjin Xingang
• First sailing: Kota Sejati, ETD Tianjin Xingang, 19 June

Intra Europe

In early June, Maersk added Izmit Korfezi to its Aegean Sea service and dropped Gebze from the rotation. The details are as follows:

• Carrier service name: SLC (Aegean Sea)
• Port rotation: Felixstowe - Hamburg - Bremerhaven - Antwerp - Piraeus - Izmit Korfezi - Ambarli - Gemlik - Izmir - Felixstowe
• First sailing: COSCO Japan ATD Felixstowe 6 June, ETD Izmit Korfezi 27 June

In July, CMA CGM will launch a Scandinavia West Coast Express (SWX) connecting Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Lithuania as follows:

• Carrier service name: SWX
• Port rotation: Gothenburg - Aarhus - Klaipeda - Gdansk - Gothenburg
• First sailing: CT Pachuca, ETD Gothenburg, 16 July

Intra South and Central America

Later this month, CMA CGM and X-Press Feeders will revise the port rotation of their service connecting Mexico, Costa Rica and Salvador. Corinto will replace Acajutla in the new rotation.

• Carrier service name: MCX (CMA CGM), MAYA1 (X-Press Feeders)
• Port rotation: Balboa - Buenaventura - Corinto - Puerto Caldera - Balboa
• First sailing: San Alfonso, ETD Balboa on 19 June

Middle East Indian Subcontinent↔ Mediterranean

Starting in June, CMA CGM will resume using the Suez Canal route for its Med Express (MEDEX) service, introducing a revised rotation. COSCO and OOCL slot charter on this service.

• Carrier service name: MEDEX (CMA CGM), COSCO (MINA), OOCL (WM3)
• Port rotation: Abu Dhabi - Jebel Ali - Karachi (temporarily omitted) - Mundra - Nhava Sheva - Colombo - Jeddah - Piraeus - Malta - Valencia - Barcelona Fos-sur-Mer - Genoa - Jeddah - Abu Dhabi
• First sailing: CMA CGM Pelleas at Abu Dhabi on 27 May 2025 (First Suez Eastbound transit 26 June 2025, First Suez Westbound transit: 20 July)

For more point-to-point service options, including transit times across major ocean carriers, refer to seaexplorer.

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