Big changes are in store for the Asia-Africa sea trade.

Commencing during the fourth quarter, Pacific International Lines (PIL) is closing down its Far East/Indian Ocean/Mozambique (MZS) service as part of the company’s service restructuring, and will continue to cover the Mozambique/Madagascar trade through a weekly feeder service.

PIL will offer connections between China/Mombasa/Dar-es-Salaam through deployment on the EAS service, which will cover Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nansha, Singapore, Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam, Singapore, Nansha and Dalian.

All Tamatave/Mozambique cargo originating in Dalian, will be loaded on the East Africa (EAS) service, and transhipped at Mombasa onto the Mozambique Feeder (MZF). The MZF will offer a port coverage of Mombasa, Tamatave, Maputo, Beira, Pemba and Mombasa.

At the opposite end of the scale, Ocean Network Express (ONE) is scheduled to launch a sailing from Tin Can Island, Nigeria, to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of this month, deploying the 2,530 TEU Evridiki G.

ONE is naming the service the AFS. The first sailing for the new service was expected to arrive at Ho Chi Minh City by early December.

Asia Cargo News