MSC announced the upcoming launch of a new weekly service from Asia to the US  East Coast to be called "The Palmetto."

In a statement, MSC said the new service will be calling Vietnam and Yantian with direct connections, and "best-in-class" transit times, to the US South Atlantic ports of Savannah and Charleston, as well as New York.

The rotation will be operated through the Panama Canal on the way to the US.

"This new service will allow us to improve the distribution of the cargo flows in our existing network and to improve the schedule reliability for our customers, among all service strings on the trade," MSC said.

"We are expecting to launch this new service from Asia during May, subject to compliance with applicable regulatory requirements," it added.