MSC launches Pertiwi intra-Asia service

• New service will offer direct link from North China and Korea to Southeast Asia starting July

• MSC says the service provides improved transit times and more service offerings

• Meanwhile, MSC plans to adjust the sailing program on its Far East-Canada West Coast network to match actual departure dates from Asia

Swiss shipping mammoth Mediterranean Shipping Company has launched its Pertiwi service on the Intra-Asia trade that will start its sailing in early July.

MSC in a statement said the new service offers customers a direct link from North China and Korea to Southeast Asia, providing improved transit times and more service offerings.

The first sailing will be the Cardiff Trader, voyage HW227A, which is estimated to arrive in the South Korean port of Busan on July 8.

The service rotation will be Busan – Qingdao – Incheon – Dalian – Tianjin Xingang – Vung Tau – Laem Chabang – Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas – Jakarta – Panjang – Singapore – Tanjung Pelepas – Busan.

Far East-Canada West Coast sailing revision

Meanwhile, MSC said separately that due to the challenging market situation causing congestion and schedule delays across the supply chain, it plans to adjust the sailing program on its Far East-Canada West Coast network to better match actual departure dates from Asia.

Port congestion is mainly reported to be occurring in Shanghai ports as a two-month COVID-related lockdown that had slowed the terminals as workers could not leave home. Movement of container trucks was limited, leading to a huge container backlog in ports.

The lockdown was lifted on June 1, but experts said the huge stockpile could last until October.

MSC said it has revised the voyage number on the service to provide better schedule reliability.

However, MSC has advised shippers to place bookings as usual as it is arranging contingency plans with alternative services.