MSC adds new Suez service in Charleston

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is to add a new weekly Asia service through the Suez Canal to Charleston, South Carolina, the deepest seaport in the US Southeast.

“Charleston's deep, wide channels and excellent productivity make it a natural fit for this service,” said Allen Clifford, executive vice president of MSC (USA). “MSC and our customers have enjoyed exponential growth in Charleston and we will continue to grow together.”

Charleston has the deepest channels on the South Atlantic coast, routinely handling post-Panamax vessels drawing up to 14 metres of water.

The ‘Golden Gate Service’, as it will be known, will call Charleston’s Wando Welch Terminal from February on a weekly basis, with the MSC Turchia being the first vessel to call.

The service will offers connections to Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan and Yantian, China; Singapore; Salalah, Oman; Freeport, Bahamas; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Singapore; Chiwan and Hong Kong, China.

The new service marks an expansion of MSC’s presence in Charleston, which has five existing weekly services to the west Mediterranean, South America, Caribbean, Africa and Europe. Earlier this year, MSC and the South Carolina State Ports Authority signed a new five-year extension to the carrier’s contract to 2017.

(Source: Container Managerment)