MSC returns to Southampton in 2M service after 40 years' absence
Time：2015-06-19
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Deployed on the 2M shipping alliance`s Condor service, it has been operated by partner carrier Maersk Line since it commenced in March.
MSC, has been a customer at Southampton`s DP World Container Terminal since the Swiss shipping line started using the port in 2013 when it joined forces with Southampton customer CMA CGM, on the French Line`s FAL1 and FAL 3 Far East services.
With an average capacity of 9,000-9,500 TEU, the Condor service, branded AE9 by Maersk, has the smallest-capacity vessels on 2M`s Far East-North Europe network, although one 13,000-TEU ship, the MSC Vega, is also currently deployed, reported London`s Loadstar.
The Condor service`s rotation is Tanjung Pelepas, Suez Canal, Barcelona, Tangier Med, Southampton, Le Havre, Antwerp, Felixstowe, Tangier Med, Suez Canal, Colombo, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen-Yantian and Shenzhen-Chiwan.
Last week Maersk Line announced that, following a network review, the smaller vessel sizes on the Condor service would be reduced from 9,500 TEU to 6,500 TEU - with the reduction in capacity mainly impacting the Mediterranean leg of the journey.