Two unlikely bedfellows, China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Line (IRISL), have set up a joint Asia-Mediterranean service to be operated with eight panamax ships averaging around 6,000 TEUs and sailing on a weekly frequency.
The service, launched this month, ranks among the top 10 services on this trade, in terms of capacity, and predominantly covers central and western Mediterranean.
IRISL will eventually deploy four new 6,500 TEU vessels being built in South Korea on the route, while CSCL has transferred four similar-sized vessels that served the transpacific route.
Importantly, the service turns in the Mediterranean at Malta, thereby offering important transhipment facilities into North Africa for IRISL, which is fast developing an important feeder market in this region, mostly over Libya.
For IRISL, this will be the first direct Asia-Mediterranean service from China and Southeast Asia.
For CSCL, the big plus point is that the new service replaces the previous Asia-Mediterranean Express 1 (AMX1) service which it ran alone initially with eight 4,250 TEU vessels a week. The service was cut back in December 2007 to a fortnightly frequency, and eventually phased out this month.
The new joint Asia-Mediterranean service had its maiden voyage from Tianjin with the westbound sailing of the 6,500 TEU IRISL newbuilding, Fifth Ocean.
The port rotation of the new service is Tianjin, Dalian, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Port Kelang, Suez, Malta, Valencia, Barcelona, Genoa, Da-mietta, Tianjin.
Meanwhile, IRISL is also restructuring its service known as the Europe Container Line that covers the Far East, Middle East, the Mediterranean and North Europe.
While the North Europe-Far East leg will continue to be served through slots offered by CSCL's Asia Europe Express 1 (AEX1), the North Europe-Middle East sector will be served by a new loop deploying seven to eight vessels of around 2,700 TEU capacity on a weekly basis.
The service, launched this month, ranks among the top 10 services on this trade, in terms of capacity, and predominantly covers central and western Mediterranean.
IRISL will eventually deploy four new 6,500 TEU vessels being built in South Korea on the route, while CSCL has transferred four similar-sized vessels that served the transpacific route.
Importantly, the service turns in the Mediterranean at Malta, thereby offering important transhipment facilities into North Africa for IRISL, which is fast developing an important feeder market in this region, mostly over Libya.
For IRISL, this will be the first direct Asia-Mediterranean service from China and Southeast Asia.
For CSCL, the big plus point is that the new service replaces the previous Asia-Mediterranean Express 1 (AMX1) service which it ran alone initially with eight 4,250 TEU vessels a week. The service was cut back in December 2007 to a fortnightly frequency, and eventually phased out this month.
The new joint Asia-Mediterranean service had its maiden voyage from Tianjin with the westbound sailing of the 6,500 TEU IRISL newbuilding, Fifth Ocean.
The port rotation of the new service is Tianjin, Dalian, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Port Kelang, Suez, Malta, Valencia, Barcelona, Genoa, Da-mietta, Tianjin.
Meanwhile, IRISL is also restructuring its service known as the Europe Container Line that covers the Far East, Middle East, the Mediterranean and North Europe.
While the North Europe-Far East leg will continue to be served through slots offered by CSCL's Asia Europe Express 1 (AEX1), the North Europe-Middle East sector will be served by a new loop deploying seven to eight vessels of around 2,700 TEU capacity on a weekly basis.