by Manal Barakat, 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.
New & updated services
Asia↔Central/South America
COCO/OOCL launched a new service enhancing connectivity between East Asia and Mexico, including key ports in China, Japan, and Mexico.
- Carrier service name: Asia-Mexico Express (WSA8/TLP8)
- Port rotation: Shanghai - Qingdao - Ensenada - Manzanillo - Ensenada - Yokohama - Shanghai
- First sailing: 20 August 2025
Carrier MSC will introduce the Far East – West Coast South America service Alpaca in September.
- Carrier service name: Alpaca
- Port rotation: Nansha- Hong Kong- Ningbo- Busan- Callao- Arica- Iquique- San Antonio- Nansha
- First sailing: September 2025
Asia↔Europe
Due to ongoing operational challenges in the service through the Italian rotation, Maersk will temporarily omit PSA Genoa calls for some vessels: Eleonora Maersk, Maersk Havana, Arthur Maersk, Ane Maersk, Alette Maersk and Maersk Hidalgo.
- Carrier service name: AE11
- Port rotation: Valencia - Barcelona - La Spezia - Vado Ligure - Singapore - Shanghai - Yantian - Tanjung Pelepas - Tanger Med - Valencia
Asia↔Indian Subcontinent
French carrier CMA CGM replaced the ASEA-Tanzania service with Kilima Xpress and added Lamu to the route.
- Carrier service name: Kilima Xpress
- Port rotation: Shanghai – Ningbo – Guangzhou – Singapore – Colombo – Lamu – Mombasa – Dar es Salaam – Colombo – Singapore – Shanghai
- First sailing: 4 August 2025
Asia↔Mediterannean
Hapag-Lloyd's SE3 service will operate with a revised port rotation as follows:
- Carrier service name: SE3
- Port rotation: Qingdao - Gwangyang -Ningbo - Tanjung Pelepas - Port Said - Izmit -Istanbul - Port Said -Singapore -Qingdao
- First sailing: 9 September 2025
Asia↔North America
On the Transpacific trade, MSC has made changes to one of its key services to a westbound round-the-world route, adding USEC ports as follows:
- Carrier service name: Dragon
- Port rotation: Busan – Ningbo – Shanghai – Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Singapore – Malta – Gioia Tauro – Genoa – La Spezia – Marseilles – Barcelona – Valencia – Malaga – Sines – Newark – Boston – Norfolk – Charleston – Freeport – Busan
- First sailing: August 2025
Asia↔Oceania
CMA CGM adds a new Northeast Asia–PNG/Australia link to its APR2 service.
- Carrier service name: APR2
- Port rotation: Qingdao – Busan – Shanghai – Ningbo – Guangzhou – Lae – Port Moresby – Brisbane – Gladstone – Townsville – Qingdao
- First sailing: September 2025
Maersk temporarily adjusted the southbound Northern Star service for the Maersk Ningbo sailings scheduled in September. Northbound, the impacted voyage will be blanked in response to demand fluctuations.
- Carrier service name: Northern Star
- Port rotation: Shanghai – Hong Kong – Brisbane – Shanghai
Central/South America↔Europe
Hapag-Lloyd implemented adjustments to its Mediterranean South America West Coast Express Service (MSW). Tanger (MA), Salerno (IT) and Civitavecchia (IT) were removed from the rotation, while Vigo (ES) was added.
- Carrier service name: MSW
- Port rotation: Buenaventura - Salaverry - Paita - Posorja - Guayaquil - Manzanillo - Puerto Limon - Cartagena - Vigo - Malaga - Valencia - Genoa - Livorno - Barcelona - Caucedo - Cartagena - Buenaventura
Furthermore, Hapag-Lloyd implemented adjustments to its Caribbean Express Service (CES). Cartagena has replaced Caucedo, London Gateway was temporarily replaced by Felixstowe and Rotterdam (NL) was removed from the rotation.
- Carrier service name: CES
- Port rotation: Santa Marta - Puerto Limon - Cartagena - Antwerp - Felixstowe - Hamburg - Antwerp - Saint John - Philadelphia - Port Everglades - Santa Marta
The carrier also adjusted its South America West Coast service (SWX). Manzanillo (PA) was removed from the northbound leg, and the omission of Le Havre (FR) was extended until further notice.
- Carrier service name: SWX
- Port rotation: San Antonio - Callao - Posorja - Cartagena - Caucedo - Rotterdam - London Gateway Port - Hamburg - Antwerp - Caucedo - Cartagena - Manzanillo - Buenaventura - Posorja - Callao - San Antonio
Intra-Asia
Chinese liner OOCL expands Intra-Southeast Asia coverage to include Vietnam and Indonesia.
- Carrier service name: Indonesia Vietnam Straits Express (IVS)
- Port rotation: Singapore- Ho Chi Minh City- Singapore- Surabaya- Semarang- Singapore
Maersk launches a new Intra-Asia service connecting China and Japan.
- Carrier service name: JP1/IA9
- Port rotation: Qingdao – Yokohama – Nagoya – Kobe – Dalian – Qingdao
- First sailing: 4 August 2025
Intra-Indian Subcontinent
CMA CGM has added Port of Sohar from the Mona2 service to the new Pikex service.
- Carrier service name: Pikex
- Port rotation: Jebel Ali – Khalifa – Port Qasim – Colombo – Mangalore – Nhava Sheva – Mundra – Karachi – Sohar – Jebel Ali
- First sailing: August 2025
The carrier will also launch a new Intra-ISC service connecting Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
- Carrier service name: MLFEED
- Port rotation: Colombo – Male – Colombo
- First sailing: 26 August 2025
Intra-Mediterranean
CMA CGM introduced a MED–Red Sea service, enhancing Levant connectivity.
- Carrier service name: Levant Red Sea Express (LRX)
- Port rotation: Mersin- Beirut- Jeddah- Lattakia- Iskenderun- Mersin
North America↔Africa
MSC announces a new standalone service called the USA-West Africa-South Africa Express (USWASA Express), commencing 1 October 2025. This service offers a direct connection between the United States, West Africa, and South Africa.
- Carrier service name: USWASA Express
- Port rotation: New York – Baltimore – Savannah – Freeport – Lome – Durban – Coega – Cape Town – San Pedro – New York
- First sailing: 1 October 2025
North America↔Europe
The port rotation of CMA CGM's SL1 service was changed this month as follows:
- Carrier service name: SAINT LAURENT (SL1)
- Port rotation: Antwerp - Bremerhaven - Rotterdam - Montreal - Halifax
- First sailing: 7 August 2025
North America↔North Europe
MSC NEWUSEC1 has been replaced by the Albatros service and has revised its service to retain USEC coverage.
- Port rotation NEUSEC1: New York - Charleston - Norfolk - Le Havre - Antwerp - Bremerhaven - London Gateway Port - Antwerp - Rotterdam - Bremerhaven - New York - Charleston - Savannah - Port Everglades - Norfolk - Antwerp - Rotterdam
- Port rotation NEUSEC2: Le Havre - Antwerp - Rotterdam - Bremerhaven - Charleston - Savannah - Norfolk - Baltimore - New York - Le Havre
- First sailing for both services: August 2025
The carrier has also added Malaga and Sines, removed London Gateway, and increased its fleet to five vessels.
- Carrier service name: Canada Express
- Port rotation: Antwerp – Le Havre – Montreal – Halifax – Malaga – Sines – Antwerp
- First sailing: July 2025
For more point-to-point service options, including transit times across major ocean carriers, refer to seaexplorer.
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