MSC's new European Silk service calls at XICT
Xiamen International Container Terminals (XICT) at Haicang Port in China's Fujian province has attracted a new European container shipping service operated by MSC called Silk.
The inaugural call at the box terminal was made earlier this month by the MSC Bruxelles. "With improved productivity and cargo handling capacity at XICT, we will attract more shipping lines to deploy mega-vessels to their long-haul services," said Raymond Chan, general manager of XICT, which is a member of Hong Kong's Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) Group.
MSC has deployed a total of nine 9,200-TEU container vessels on the Silk service, which replaces the former Lion Service (MSLN). The new service is intended to raise shipping capacity and reduce transit times.
The port rotation for Silk is: Antwerp, Jebel Ali, Singapore, Chiwan, Yantian, Xingang, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Singapore, Valencia, Felixstowe and Rotterdam.
Voyages between Xiamen and Valencia, Felixstowe and Rotterdam take 18, 23 and 24 days.
