MSC announce new vessel sharing agreement between Asia & East Coast South America

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, 18TH MAY 2015

Today, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, Maersk Line and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) enter into a new Vessel Sharing Agreement (VSA) which will operate between Asia and East Coast South America trade route.  Under the VSA 22 vessels will operate on two new loops, offering extensive coverage on the following routes:

Loop 1: Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Santos, Paranagua, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio Grande, Paranagua, Santos, Coega, Singapore, Hong Kong, Busan

Loop 2: Chiwan, Yantian, Hong Kong, Singapore, Santos, Sepetiba, Itajai, Navegantes, Sao Francisco do Sul-Santos, Sepetiba, Cape Town, Durban, Singapore, Chiwan

MSC and Maersk Line will each operate six vessels of 9,000 TEUs on Loop 1. MOL will operate ten vessels of 5,500 TEUs on Loop2.

Caroline Becquart, SVP & Head of Asia Network and VSA’s commented, “We are pleased to have signed this new vessel sharing agreement, it enables MSC to offer our customers improved reliability and wider port coverage. MSC will work hard to optimise the efficiency and utilisation of the network which can lead to improvements in our environmental performance.”

Alfonso Fusillo SVP for Latin America added; “These services offer our customers all kinds of new possibilities; direct connections between Rio Grande and Asia, between Busan and South America East Coast as well as two weekly sailings between Asia and Santos.  The product we can offer is much improved.”

Transit times and final commercial schedules will be communicated once all berthing arrangements have been finalised with the terminals.

The new VSA kicks off with the first vessel departure from the Far East during the first week of July 2015.  It replaces all other VSAs in place on this route, which expire at the end of June.