PIL, Wan Hai join others to expand Black Sea link December 16

PIL and Wan Hai will launch a joint weekly service linking China and south east Asia to the eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea with the December 16 sailing of the 2,732-TEU Kota Perwira to be followed by the Wan Hai 311, the Kota Kado and the Hammonia Tuetonica and four other ships.

Called the Sino-Black Sea Service 2 by PIL (SB2/BSC), it will follow a rotation of Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Shenzhen-Shekou, Singapore and Port Kelang to Port Said, Alexandria, Istanbul, Odessa and Novorossiysk (though Novorossiysk will not be covered until February).

The new service complements the Sino-Black Sea 1 service (BS1), which links Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen-Shekou, Singapore and Port Kelang, Damietta, Istanbul and Ilichevsk reports Paris-based Alphaliner. Wan Hai, PIL, CSCL, "K" Line and Yang Ming operate the BS 1.

The new loop will be the fourth dedicated Asia-Mediterranean service to become operational this year, joining CSAV Norasia's Mare Nostrum West Med service started last March 2010, CKYH's MD3 West Med service, re-introduced in last April and HMM, Hanjin, Yang Ming, UASC's East Med-Adriatic service (MAE/AAX/AMC-3) started in May.
(Source:www.schednet.com)