In a major service enhancement, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) has announced the commencement of three new services from the end of July (week 31). These will directly connect to ports in the Red Sea, East and South Africa from Mundra and Nhava Sheva, informed an MSC communiqué.

The weekly services and their port rotations are as follows:

Red Sea Service: Mundra, Karachi, Port Qasim, Salalah, Jeddah, Aqaba, Sokhna, Port Sudan. Nhava Sheva cargo will be connected via Salalah.

East Africa Service: Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Salalah, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa. This service will also cover Mogadishu via Salalah.

South Africa Service: Mundra, Port Louis, Durban, Coega, Jebel Ali. Nhava Sheva cargo will be connected via Mundra.

With the West still being impacted by the effects of the post-2008 slowdown, Africa is seen as the next big thing in the global economic scenario. According to multiple projections, the continent is expected to see a significant jump in per capita GDP and economic reforms-led foreign direct investment, which will, in turn, boost exports and imports and consumer spending. MSC is thus facilitating a fast-growing market through these services.

MSC, the world's second largest container line, constantly endeavours to introduce new services and upgrade its service levels to cater to increasing volumes and demands of new trade lanes. The line is well known for quickly adapting to the changing needs of the market.