Maersk updates ocean services between Far East and Africa

Danish carrier Maersk announced several updates to its ocean shipping services between the Far East and Africa.

"Commencing from the first week of December, FEW2, FEW3, and FEW6 will have updated rotations. In addition to these, Cape Town Express, a new feeder service, will be introduced and be connected to the updated Safari service," says an official release.

South Africa, which is facing congestion, will get connected on a dedicated feeder service via Port Louis and be delinked from the FEW service in order to improve reliability and transit time, the release added.

“We are witnessing rapid growth in the African markets where not only is the higher consumption creating a more robust demand for goods but it reflects the resilience of the African economy,” says Bhavan Vempati, Head of Market, Maersk Indian Subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa. “In today’s market conditions, it has become imperative for us to deliver a resilient and reliable product to customers. Our ambition is to deliver a competitive advantage to our customers and be future-ready through all the changes we are announcing today.”

Updated FEW2 Service
Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas – Lome – Apapa – Onne – Cotonou – Singapore

The updated FEW2 service will ensure seamless and fast connections to and from the Far East via Tanjung Pelepas to African ports with a clear focus on the Nigerian market.

Updated FEW3 Service
Qingdao – Kwangyang – Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Nansha – Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas – Tema – Lekki – Abidjan – Pointe Noire – Colombo – Singapore – Xiamen – Qingdao

"The present FEW1 service will be discontinued. Coverage will be transferred to the FEW3 service, which will be upgraded to accommodate the former FEW1 requirements. The new and upgraded FEW3 service will connect all major ports in West Africa with all key ports in Asia," says the release.

Updated FEW6 Service
Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – Nansha – Tanjung Pelepas – Singapore – Pointe Noire – Kribi – Luanda – Walvis Bay – Singapore – Qingdao

The updated FEW6 service will focus on the main South West African ports with a new call to Kribi, the release added. "A significant change to this service will be the delinking of Cape Town coverage to enable quicker transit times of up to seven days between the South West African ports and Asian ports. This will increase the overall reliability of the service to customers."

Cape Town Express
Port Louis – Cape Town – Port Louis

With the removal of Cape Town from the FEW6, the new service caters for consistent cargo movement between Port Louis and Cape Town. In Port Louis, there will be connectivity from and to Asia using the Safari service.

Updated Safari service
Shanghai – Ningbo – Shekou – Tanjung Pelepas – Port Louis – Durban – Port Louis – Tanjung Pelepas

The Safari service will add a Port Louis northbound coverage, providing a direct connection for the Cape Town exports, including reefers, to the Asian market using a combination of Cape Town Express and the Safari service, the release added.