Hapag-Lloyd starts new service linking Mediterranean and Latin America

Hapag-Lloyd will launch a new weekly service, namely Mediterranean, Caribbean, Central America, West Coast South America Express (MSW) service, which will take effect in the next month and will connect Mediterranean ports with Latin America.

This new offering aims to deliver a direct service between the Mediterranean and the West Coast of South America with connections from and to Ecuador, Peru, Chile, as well as other destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.

The rotation of MSW service will be gradually adjusted to its target locations, according to the German shipping line. The initial rotation of MSW service will be the following:

Valencia (Spain) – Livorno (Italy) – Genoa (Italy) – Barcelona (Spain) – Caucedo (Dominican Republic) – Cartagena (Colombia) – Paita (Peru) – Posorja (Ecuador)  – Buenaventura (Colombia) – Puerto Limon (Costa Rica) – Cartagena (Colombia) – Tangier (Morocco) – Malaga (Spain) – Valencia (Spain)

The Liberia-flagged Hammonia Baltica will be deployed on the first sailing of the new service on voyage 218S, with an estimated time of departure (ETD) from the Port of Valencia on 6 May, and an estimated time of arrival (ETA) on the first destination in Latin America, Caucedo, 18 days later, on 24 May. The whole sailing is expected to last about one month.

With six container vessels deployed on the new service, Hapag-Lloyd expects it will offer competitive transit times for reefer cargo originating from the north of Peru, Ecuador and Costa Rica into major markets in the West Mediterranean.

The German box carrier will be the sole operator of the new MSW service, which will be replacing the existing connection between Latin America and the Mediterranean, currently offered by Hapag-Lloyd's Mediterranean Pacific (MPS) and Mediterranean Gulf Express (MGX) services.

Source: Container News