Maersk's China-Med AE15 service loads east and west on the Pearl

DANISH shipping giant Maersk Line is offering the weekly AE15 service from China to Mediterranean ports, with a slot swap agreement with CMA CGM, that deploys eleven 8,500-TEU ships and calls on both banks of the Pearl River.


"This means less risk of operational difficulties with barges, trucks, or missed mother vessel connections," said the company statement.


The westbound rotation will be Kwangyang and Busan in South Korea, then on to Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Nansha, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Vung Tau (Vietnam), Tanjung Pelepas, Port Klang, Port Said, Beirut, Malta, Valencia, Barcelona, Fos-sur-Mer, Genoa and back to Kwangyang.


The company said the AE15 service provides fast transit to Beirut from Hong Kong (18 days), from Nansha (18 days), and Shenzhen-Chiwan (17 days). This is 8-11 days faster than before; and to Malta, from Hong Kong (22 days), Nansha (22 days), and Shenzhen-Chiwan (21 days), ranging from five to seven days faster than before, the company statement said.


The AE15 calls three major ports in South China: Hong Kong, Nansha and Shenzhen Chiwan. Whether the cargo is coming from the east or west of the Pearl River Delta or Hong Kong, shippers have an opportunity to catch the nearest and most convenient port call.


It is also the first Europe-bound service calling at Nansha, providing a fresh option for shippers on the western bank of the Pearl to move goods directly to European markets with direct loading on ocean vessels in Nansha, said Maersk statement.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)