MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is modifying its Far East–South Africa Ingwe service by relocating the northbound Sri Lankan hub call from Colombo to Hambantota. This strategic shift, confirmed by Alphaliner, aims to optimize the service's operational flow.
In conjunction with the port change, MSC plans to enhance the service's capacity. The carrier will introduce an additional vessel to the Ingwe service, bringing the total fleet deployment to 12 ships. These vessels range in size from 5,500 TEU to 12,000 TEU, indicating a significant increase in available slot capacity.
For freight forwarders and shippers, this change means a new routing for cargo moving through Sri Lanka on the Ingwe service. Shipments previously routed via Colombo for northbound connections will now utilize Hambantota. This could impact transit times and inland logistics, requiring forwarders to adjust their planning and potentially explore new drayage options from Hambantota. The added vessel capacity might offer more space and improved schedule reliability on this trade lane.
