Hapag-Lloyd has announced a new Container WA1 Service (West Africa Service 1) with a fortnightly frequency, connecting Tanger Med, Nouakchott, Freetown, Conakry, Monrovia, and back to Tanger Med.

The first sailing is scheduled for May 15.

In a statement, Hapag-Lloyd said this new service is designed to establish Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia as new markets for Hapag-Lloyd and ensure continuity of service to Mauritania.

Hapag-Lloyd added that will introduce with the WA1 the ports of Freetown, Conakry, and Monrovia to its service portfolio.

The company will be represented by 3rd party agents in these ports.

"We are excited to launch our new WA1 Service," says Dheeraj Bhatia, senior managing director, Region Middle East, India and Africa at Hapag-Lloyd.

"The service's launch reaffirms Hapag-Lloyd's strong commitment to expanding its presence in (West) Africa. It will enable us to serve our customers better and offer them more flexible and efficient solutions," he added, noting that its customers in the region will have access to Hapag-Lloyd's global network via Tangier and will see the added opportunities by expanding our operations to new markets in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.

Source: Hapag-Lloyd

In addition, Hapag-Lloyd announces a new rotation and new timing for its WAX Service – West Africa Express, connecting Tanger Med, Dakar, Tema, Abidjan, and back to Tanger Med with a weekly frequency.

The first sailing with the new rotation is scheduled for May 7.

The WAX Service will offer a weekly product for both import and export markets and provide more flexibility to customers. Additionally, the service has high reefer plug availability and an inland haulage product into Mali and Burkina Faso.