MSC joins Hamburg Sud, Hapag, Maersk, ANL in Oceania-California loop

GENEVA`s Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has revealed that it is joining a consortium of carriers, Hamburg Sud, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk Line and ANL, to provide a service linking Oceania with US west coast ports.

A few weeks ago, MSC extended a slot charter agreement with some of these same carriers to provide service from Oceania to the US east coast.


MSC will market the new loop as Oceania Express 1 to rotate through Melbourne, Sydney, Tauranga, Oakland, Long Beach, Auckland and back to Melbourne.


The loop will deploy seven ships averaging 2,596 TEU, two from Hamburg Sud, two from CMA CGM`s unit ANL and one from Hapag-Lloyd, though the source of the remaining two is yet to be settled, according to ComPair Data.


MSC`s slots on the service will be offered from December 24. CMA CGM, Alianca, and US Lines, also a CMA CGM unit, will take slots as well.