Update: MEX Service
MOL is to leave the joint Asia/Middle East/Mediterranean service it operates as a vessel provider with UASC, Hanjin and Senator Lines from late May, PR News Service can exclusively reveal.
MOL has operated two 3,000 teu vessels on the service which was marketed by the line as the EMA service, and by its partners, UASC as the AMC1, and Hanjin and slot charterer, Senator Lines, as the Mediterranean Express (MEX).
The departure date of MOL from this service is May 20th, but the line will continue to deploy its vessels for at least two round trips before officially ending its involvement.
As MOL leaves the service, the remaining vessel operating partners, UASC and Hanjin will increase their own deployment taking over the weekly schedule slots to ensure a fixed-day weekly service continues without interruption.
Senator Lines will also be able to offer an increased allocation, almost doubling its present weekly space to around 400 teu following the reshuffle of service partners.
Lines start to upgrade Asia/Middle East/Mediterranean service.
As a prelude to its departure, MOL will phase in the 4,646 teu MOL Express at Shanghai on the joint service on May 21st to replace a vessel of around 2,800 teu capacity.
Present weekly capacity of the MEX/AMC1/EMA service is 2,880 teu, and the service is one of the few that offers an extensive market coverage in the western Med combined with eastbound calls in the Middle East to serve several distinct market veins – Med/Middle East and Middle East/southeast Asia/China.
Port coverage is : Shanghai (Tues/Wed), Yantian (Fri/Sat), Singapore (Tues/Thurs), Genoa (Sat/Mon), Fos (Tues/Wed), Valencia (Thurs/Fri), Gioia Tauro (Sat/Sun), Jeddah (Fri/Sat), Khorfakkan (Wed/Thurs), Singapore (Wed/Thurs), Shanghai (Tues/Wed)