MOL joins Asia/Mediterranean/Middle East/Asia loop
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is joining, as a vessel provider, the joint weekly Asia/Mediterranean/Middle East/Asia EMA service of Hanjin Shipping, Senator Lines and United Arab Shipping Co., effective in late August.
The revised EMA service will deploy eight vessels of about 3,000 TEUs, with four vessels operated by Hanjin, two by MOL and two by UASC. Currently, Hanjin operates all eight ships on the service.
At the same time the service will replace calls at Hong Kong with Yantian. La Spezia and a westbound call at Gioia Tauro are being dropped in favor of a westbound call at Genoa.
The revised port rotation of the EMA service will be Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore, Genoa, Fos, Valencia, Gioia Tauro, Jeddah, Khor Fakkan, Singapore and back to Shanghai.
Compania Sud Americana de Vapores and Norasia Container Lines both take space on the EMA service. It is not known if the changes will affect that arrangement.
According to ComPair Data, the global liner-shipping database, at http://www.compairdata.com, MOL will have three weekly services in the Far East/Mediterranean trade once it joins the EMA service.
In a separate development, Hanjin said it will introduce an additional service in the Far East/Mediterranean trade, deploying 4,000 TEU vessels, from November.