MSC withdraw Great Sea Service from operation

Geneva, Switzerland, 19th October 2015

Today, MSC announce the withdrawal of their ‘Great Sea’ service that operates between Asia and the Black Sea. The service will cease operation on Asia export sailings from the first week of November. The string currently operates nine vessels with a nominal capacity of 5,500 TEU. “The decision to withdraw this service is due to unexpectedly low demand out of Asia. We have to adapt our capacity to the demand in these difficult times,” commented Caroline Becquart, Senior Vice President of MSC.

MSC will continue to offer a service between Asia and the Black Sea with cargo transshipped in Asyaport, which is located in Barbaros, Tekirdağ, Türkiye. The company expects to offer good transit times to its customers via the new transshipment service though the schedule is still under construction. Caroline concludes; “While current demand is not sufficient to meet the costs of running a dedicated service, we are committed to provide solutions for our customers. The transshipment service will maintain our customers’ supply chain and our commitment to the area.”