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.

Carriers revise services to/from Pakistan

On 3 May, India imposed an immediate ban on the import of goods from or transiting through Pakistan and prohibited Pakistani-flagged ships, including those carrying goods via third countries, from entering Indian ports.

This action, taken in response to escalating tensions, led to a reciprocal measure from Pakistan, barring Indian-flagged ships from docking at Pakistani ports.

Each carrier is affected differently by these bans, depending on its network and service structure. As a result, carriers are taking various steps, ranging from service suspensions to reroutes.

Service changes 

Some carriers have already adjusted their services to comply with these bans. For instance, CMA CGM has announced revisions to five of its services to accommodate cargo to or from Pakistan.

On its Asia Middle East service, PIKEX, two additional calls in Pakistan will be included from 9 May.

On other services, CMA CGM will remove Pakistan ports from the rotation and utilise its transhipment hubs in Khalifa and Colombo to connect Pakistan cargo to the rest of the world.

MSC will route cargo via Colombo using a Colombo-Pakistan weekly feeder service. Meanwhile, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd have reported no impact on their Gemini services, as cargo is routed via Salalah.

However, Maersk's Mawingu service, which connects the subcontinent, the Middle East, and Kenya, will omit Port Qasim in Pakistan. Cargo will instead be transhipped via Salalah on an alternative service.

The details of the announced service changes can be found in the attached customer advisory.

Affected sailings

The immediate ban applies to future bookings and cargo already on the water. Carriers have made inducement calls and reshuffled rotations on short notice, resulting in delays.

Vessels carrying Pakistan boxes are not permitted to berth at Indian ports, resulting in significant diversions and delays for Hapag-Lloyd's India Arabian Gulf Service 1 (IG1) and the India America Express Service (TPI).

The Safeen Power V.2518E from the IG1 service was diverted from India to Jebel Ali to discharge Pakistan boxes and is now one week late returning to Kandla and Nhava Sheva.

Additionally, the TSS Amber will turn back from Jebel Ali to Umm Qasr, omitting Shuaiba, and all IG1 ships will bypass Pakistan entirely.

Similarly, the Nagoya Express V.5118 from the TPI service was diverted to Colombo for the same reason and is currently one week late back at Nhava Sheva and Mundra.

The Bremen Express made an inducement call at Salalah to discharge Pakistan boxes and will proceed directly to Nhava Sheva, omitting Pakistan. Consequently, all TPI ships will also omit Pakistan, with cargo being rerouted via Salalah.

Kuehne+Nagel strongly advises customers to stay in close contact with local representatives for the latest updates on specific sailings, bookings and alternative routing options.

New & revised services

Africa↔Europe

Earlier this month, MSC revised the port rotation of its Eastern Cape Express service to offer faster transit times from the Eastern Cape in South Africa to Europe and the Mediterranean.

• Carrier service name: Eastern Cape Express Service
• Port rotation: Walvis Bay - Gqeberha - Sines - London Gateway - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Le Havre - Sines - Casablanca - Las Palmas - Walvis Bay

Asia↔Europe

In late May, ONE and HMM will adjust the port rotation of their service connecting Asia and North Europe by adding Felixstowe to the rotation. ONE and HMM operate this service, while Hapag-Lloyd and MSC slot charter.

• Carrier service name: FE4 (ONE), FE4 (HMM), Hapag-Lloyd (FE4), MSC (Silk)
• Port rotation: Shanghai - Ningbo - Kaohsiung - Yantian - Vung Tau - Singapore - Felixstowe - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Le Havre - Algeciras - Singapore - Kaohsiung - Shanghai
• First sailing: HMM Southampton, ETD Shanghai, 25 May

In May, MSC split its North Europe-Asia-US West Coast Swan-Sentosa service into 2 separate services. The Asia-North Europe leg will be named Swan, and the Cape routing will be retained. The Yokohama call will be dropped, along with eastbound calls at Laem Chabang and Vung Tau.

The Premier Alliance carriers (ONE, HMM and Yang Ming) will retain their slots on the service as the FE6.

• Carrier service name: Swan (MSC), FE6 (ONE, HMM, Yang Ming)
• Port rotation: Busan - Ningbo - Shanghai - Xiamen - Yantian - Singapore - Sines - Le Havre - Rotterdam, Gothenburg - Aarhus - Hamburg - Antwerp - Port Klang - Singapore - Shekou - Busan
• First sailing: TBA

Furthermore, the transpacific leg is named Sentosa. The revised service will turn in 10 weeks using up to 10 ships of 12,000 to 16,000 TEU.

• Carrier service name: Sentosa
• Port rotation: Port Klang - Singapore - Laem Chabang - Cai Mep - Ningbo - Shanghai - Busan - Long Beach - Oakland - Yokohama - Xiamen - Port Klang
• First sailing: MSC Alexandra, ATD Port Klang, 3 May

 Asia↔Indian Subcontinent

SITC launched a new Far East-Indian Express service as follows:

• Carrier service name: FIE3
• Port rotation: Shanghai - Ningbo - Shekou - Batam - Haldia - Shanghai
• First sailing: SITC JUNDE, ATD Shanghai 10 May

Asia↔North America

The Ocean Alliance revised the rotation of its service connecting Asia to the North American East Coast by adding a port call in Balboa.

• Carrier service name: AUE (Evergreen), TWS (CMA CGM), AWE3 (COSCO) and ECC1 (OOCL)
• Port rotation: Yantian - Balboa - Colon - Savannah - New York - Norfolk - Baltimore - Port Klang - Vung Tau - Xiamen - Kaohsiung - Hong Kong - Yantian
• First sailing: Ever Max, ATD Yantian, 7 May

MSC and ZIM have suspended two transpacific services this month as follows:

• Carrier service name: Empire (MSC), ZNS(ZIM)
• Port rotation: Busan - New York - Norfolk - Baltimore - Busan - Qingdao - Shanghai - Ningbo - Busan
• Last sailing: MSC Jasper VIII, ATD Busan, 4 May

• Carrier service name: Pelican (MSC), ZSL(ZIM)
• Port rotation: Yantian - Busan - Lazaro Cardenas - Houston - Mobile - Tampa - Miami - Cai Mep - Xiamen - Yantian
• Last sailing: MSC Sydney VI, ATD Yantian, 12 May

The carriers will revise the remaining Asia↔North America services as follows:

• Carrier service name: America Service (MSC), ZIM (Z7S)
• Port rotation: Laem Chabang - Haiphong - Vung Tau - Singapore - New York - Baltimore - Savannah - Jacksonville - Colombo - Singapore - Laem Chabang
• First sailing: MSC Douala VIII, ATD Laem Chabang, 11 May

• Carrier service name: Amberjack Service (MSC), ZIM(ZCP)
• Port rotation: Yantian - Xiamen - Ningbo - Shanghai - Busan - Manzanillo - Kingston - New York - Baltimore - Savannah - Charleston - Kingston - Busan - Yantian
• First sailing: ZIM Mount Rainier, ATD Yantian, 13 May

• Carrier service name: Emerald Service (MSC), ZXB (ZIM)
• Port rotation: Singapore - Vung Tau - Haiphong - Yantian - Kaohsiung - Cartagena - Charleston - Savannah - Norfolk - New York - Boston - Singapore
• First sailing: ZIM Spinel, ATD Singapore, 12 May

• Carrier service name: Lone Star Service (MSC), ZSL (ZIM)
• Port rotation: Singapore - Vung Tau - Yantian - Ningbo - Shanghai - Busan - Mobile - Houston- Tampa - Miami - Freeport -Singapore
• First sailing: MSC Maputo, ETA Yantian, 15 May

Asia↔South and Central America

From 10 May, CMA CGM began slot chartering on the COSCO/OOCL service between Asia and the West Coast of South America. CMA CGM will call this service M2A.

• Carrier service name: WSA5 (COSCO), TLP5 (OOCL), M2A (CMA CGM)
• Port rotation: Dalian - Ningbo - Shanghai - Qingdao - Ensenada - Manzanillo (Mexico) - Lazaro Cardenas - Buenaventura - Guayaquil - Chancay - Shanghai - Dalian.
• First sailing: CSCL Asia, ATD Dalian, 10 May

Europe↔North America

At the beginning of May, Hapag-Lloyd replaced London Gateway with Felixstowe on its Caribbean Express Service (CES) until further notice. This service covers the East Coast of South America and North America to North Europe. Maersk will slot charter on this service.

• Carrier service name: Caribbean Express Service (Hapag-Lloyd), TA5 (Maersk)
• Port rotation: Antwerp - Felixstowe - Hamburg - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Saint John - Philadelphia - Port Everglades - Santa Marta - Puerto Limon - Caucedo - Antwerp
• First sailing: Cape Sable, ATA, Felixstowe, 7 May

Europe↔South and Central America

On the ECX service, Hapag-Lloyd and MSC will adjust berthing windows at Brazilian ports to allow for additional buffer time. Additionally, the carriers will reinstate the call in Navegantes in July.

• Carrier service name: ECX(Hapag-Lloyd), NWC_SAEC String 1 (MSC)
• Port rotation: Rotterdam - London Gateway - Hamburg - Bremerhaven - Antwerp - Le Havre - Sines - Rio de Janeiro - Santos - Itapoa - Buenos Aires - Montevideo - Rio Grande - Navegantes - Paranagua - Santos - Rio de Janeiro - Salvador - Tangier - Rotterdam
• First sailing: Bremerhaven Express, ETD Rotterdam, 17 May

Intra Asia

SITC will launch a new service connecting Malaysia and China. This service replaces its Malaysia-India-Myanmar service(MIM). The new service will turn in four weeks.

• Carrier service name: CMX
• Port rotation: Shekou, Kuantan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou
• First sailing: SITC HAKATA, ETD Shekou on 13 May

Intra Europe

In late April, CMA CGM revised the port rotation on its Nclevant service by adding a port call in Salerno.

• Carrier service name: Nclevant
• Port rotation: Marsaxlokk - Salerno - Tangier - Felixstowe - Hamburg - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Le Havre - Marsaxlokk - Alexandria - Port Said - Mersin - Iskenderun - Beirut - Alexandria - Marsaxlokk
• First sailing: CMA CGM Barracuda, ATD Marsaxlokk, 21 April

Intra Mediterranean/Black Sea

ONE and Global Feeder Shipping launched a new Spain-Turkey service in May.

• Carrier service name: ST2
• Port rotation: Algeciras - Valencia - Barcelona - Alexandria - Damietta - Aliaga - Izmit - Algeciras
• First sailing: CAPT. KATTELMANN,ATD Damietta 12 May

The French carrier also streamlined its EUROMAR service in early May by removing calls in Agadir, Tilbury and Rotterdam.

• Carrier service name: EUROMAR
• Port rotation: Tangier - Casablanca - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - Le Havre - Vigo - Tangier
• First sailing: Seatrade Chile, ATD Tangier, 8 May

In May, ONE revised the port rotation of its IBC service connecting North Europe and the Mediterranean by replacing London Gateway with Southampton.

• Carrier service name: IBC
• Port rotation: Lisbon - Southampton - Bremerhaven - Rotterdam - Leixoes - Lisbon
• First sailing: Marielyst, ATD Lisbon, 7 May

Mediterranean/Black Sea↔South and Central America

Hapag-Lloyd and MSC will make the following adjustments to their Mediterranean South America East Coast Express Service (MSE):

1. Starting with the MV MSC ANZU V.MM521A, which loads in Barcelona on May 21, both Montevideo and Asuncion will be served exclusively via Paranagua, Brazil.
2. Navegantes will be reintroduced with immediate effect.
3. Beginning with the M/V COPIAPO V.MM520A, expected to arrive on May 18, 2025, the terminal in Genoa will transition from VTE to SECH Terminal.

• Carrier service name: Mediterranean South America East Coast Express Service (Hapag-Lloyd), West Med to SAEC (MSC)
• Port rotation: Barcelona - Livorno - Genoa - Valencia - Suape - Rio De Janeiro - Santos - Paranagua - Itapoa - Navegantes - Santos - Rio De Janeiro - Valencia - Barcelona
• First sailing: MSC ANZU, ETA Barcelona 21 May

North America↔South and Central America

Hapag-Lloyd has announced changes to its GS1 service as follows:

1. The berthing windows in Santos will be adjusted to southbound vessels calling the port on Saturdays and Northbound vessels on Sundays.
2. Rio de Janeiro will be removed from the rotation. The last sailing will be the Seaspan Empire calling Rio de Janeiro on 16 June. 
3. Itajai will replace Navegantes from 18 June. Furthermore, a weekly frequency will resume in July for the following ports: Paranagua, Itajai, Veracruz and Altamira.

The changes will affect all carriers on this service.

• Carrier service name: GS1 (Hapag-Lloyd, Gulf to SAEC String 2 (MSC), ANG (ONE), Gulfex (Maersk)
• Port rotation: Cartagena - Veracruz - Altamira - Houston - New Orleans - Cartagena - Suape - Santos - Buenos Aires - Montevideo - Rio Grande - Itajai - Paranagua - Santos - Cartagena
• First sailing: Cape Pioneer, ETD Santos, 7 June

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

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