MSC has decided to update its Asia service network by enhancing two existing services and launching a new one.
The Swiss/Italian ocean carrier announced the upgrade of the existing Bengal service aiming to establish direct connections between China and Bangladesh. The updated Bengal service will feature a transit time of 10 days from Shanghai to Chattogram, according to the company’s statement.
Port Rotation: Qingdao (China) – Ningbo (China) – Shanghai (China) – Chattogram (Bangladesh) – Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas (Malaysia) – Qingdao
Additionally, MSC wants to improve the Kaguya service to benefit long-haul cargo to and from Japan with a connection via the port of Busan in South Korea.
The port rotation of the refreshed Kaguya service will be Kobe (Japan) – Osaka (Japan) – Hakata (Japan) – Busan (South Korea) – Kobe.
Furthermore, the world’s largest box line will launch a new standalone service, named Saola, offering direct connections between Central China and Vietnam. The port rotation of the Saola service will be as follows:
Shanghai (China) – Ningbo (China) – Haiphong (Vietnam) – Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) – Vung Tau (Vietnam) – Shanghai
The first sailings of the aforementioned services will be as follows:
• Bengal: MSC Chaewon Voyage SX428A – ETA Qingdao 8 July 2024
• Saola: MSC Vigour Voyage HS428A – ETA Shanghai 10 July 2024
• Kaguya: MSC Lilou III Voyage HG429A – ETA Busan 20 July 2024
