Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced the start of a dedicated service between Asia and West Africa.

The Africa Express Service has a Colombo call eastbound, which should facilitate West African imports into South India and exports from South India to the Far East/South-East Asia.

All of MSC's existing volumes moving today in transhipment via the Mediterranean will now be shipped directly to West Africa with an improved transit time to Tincan Island-Lagos of 28 days from Chiwan and 23 days from Singapore, stressed a release.

The service, deploying 10 x 4,000-TEU vessels, has the following port rotation: Nansha, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Louis, Tincan Island-Lagos, San Pedro, Abidjan, Coega, Colombo, Singapore, Nansha.