[210113.EN.SEA] MSC Starts Three New Feeder Dublin-Greenock Services From Le Havre

GENEVA's Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has taken delivery of its first vessel to be deployed on one of three new feeder services that will operate from its new terminal at Le Havre from the end of January.

With 1,600-TEU vessels deployed, the feeder will raise the number of weekly maritime calls by the shipping company in Le Havre to 13.

Stephan Snijders, executive director of MSC France, said the three new feeder services will add "350,000 additional TEU on our TNMSC terminal at Port 2000. The new services are the first stage of our business growth plan in Le Havre".

The first of MSC's new feeder services operating from Le Havre will be the Liverpool Express, which will be operated by the MSC Conti Chiwan from January 21. The weekly feeder service will provide transshipment connections to the UK.

Two days later, the MSC John Rickmers will be deployed on the Ireland & Scotland Express Service from the TNMSC terminal in Port 2000. The service calls weekly at the ports of Dublin and Greenock.

Finally, the MSC Aries will operate, every week, starting from January 26, the Biscay Express service calling at the Atlantic coast ports of Brest, Montoir and Le Verdon.

Le Havre is part of a three-port group with Rouen and Paris to form HAROPA, a cluster that offers container shipping services to link European ports to the rest of the world.

Looking ahead, the carrier plans to further develop its shipping services and thus strengthen the part played by Le Havre as a hub.

MSC boasts the world's largest number of ultra large containerships in an operational fleet that comprises 475 container vessels as of June 2011, with an overall capacity of two million TEU.

Source : HKSG, 21.01.13.