Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) proceeded to adjust its services to cater to the fruit export season from Morocco and South Africa, according to Alphaliner.
In this way, the shipping line will begin in early December a regular service that will connect the Moroccan fruit export gateway of Agadir with Antwerp and Saint Petersburg. The launch of this service will trigger modifications in other parts of the carrier’s network.
In addition to Agadir, Antwerp, and Saint Petersburg, MSC’s new “Baltic NWC to Spain and Portugal” loop will also call at several Baltic and Iberian ports on its southbound leg.
While the Geneva-based carrier used to cover the direct Agadir – Northern Europe link via its Northern Europe – West Africa “NWC – Morocco – WAF” service, this service will now be extended further south to Port Elizabeth, for fruit exports from South Africa to Europe.
“The new Baltic NWC to Spain and Portugal will be completed in six weeks with six vessels of between 2,500 and 3,700 TEU, calling at Saint Petersburg, Klaipeda, Riga, Gdynia, Felixstowe, Antwerp, Le Havre, Bilbao, Gijón, Vigo, Sines, Agadir, Antwerp, and again Saint Petersburg. It will be inaugurated with the departure of the 2,867 TEU MSC Clarita III from Agadir on December 3,” the consultancy stated.
“Given that the new Baltic NWC to Spain and Portugal loop will serve Spanish ports on its southbound leg, changes are expected in MSC’s current NWC to/from Spain and Portugal service.
In the “NWC – Morocco – WAF” loop, northbound calls at Agadir, as well as at San Pedro (Ivory Coast), Las Palmas, London Gateway, and Saint Petersburg (seasonal), will be removed.
This allows MSC to extend its Northern Europe – West Africa service to South Africa. The service will therefore be completed in nine weeks instead of seven. A first departure from Port Elizabeth is scheduled for January 1, 2026, with the 3,007 TEU MSC Nederland III.
The revised itinerary for the nine vessels of between 2,500 and 4,000 TEU deployed in this loop is as follows: Antwerp, Rotterdam, Le Havre, Casablanca, Las Palmas, Dakar, Lomé, Pointe Noire, Luanda, Port Elizabeth, Antwerp.
It is worth noting that MSC also extended this Northern Europe – West Africa service to Port Elizabeth in November 2024 during the South African grape export season.
