Hapag-Lloyd has launched a new reefer service that would offer a direct connection between the Western Mediterranean and the West Coast of South America.

The German shipping line said the new Mediterranean, Caribbean, Central America, West Coast South America Express (MSW) will begin in early May.

Hapag-Lloyd said this is a weekly, regular service for reefer goods — offering "fast, attractive transit times."

"With this new weekly service, Hapag-Lloyd will connect the Western Mediterranean directly with the West Coast of South America," Hapag-Lloyd said, adding that with six vessels, the service offers fast transportation for reefer cargo to and from Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and other destinations in the Caribbean and Central America, connecting them with the main markets around the Mediterranean.

"Through our hub ports transportation is possible as far as Turkey, Africa, and the Middle East," it added.

Currently the following routing is planned for the first departures: Valencia - Livorno - Genoa - Barcelona - Caucedo - Cartagena - Paita - Posorja - Buenaventura - Puerto Limon (Moin) - Cartagena - Tangier - Malaga - Valencia.