MSC builds Africa service network with Walvis Bay as strategic hub
After taking control of the container terminal at Walvis Bay in Namibia in November, MSC has decided to use this port as its local hub for Southern Africa.
Following the extension of its Europe-West Africa NWC-Morocco-WAF service to Walvis Bay, MSC will now incorporate its new hub into the NWC to South Africa service, replacing South Africa’s port of Ngqura.
Additionally, Walvis Bay will receive an eastbound call from MSC’s East Coast South America-Far East Carioca service.
The revised NWC to South Africa rotation includes stops in London Gateway (United Kingdom), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Bremerhaven (Germany), Le Havre (France), Sines (Portugal), Las Palmas (Spain), Walvis Bay (Namibia), Ngqura (South Africa), Durban (South Africa), Cape Town (South Africa), and back to London.
The revised NWC-Morocco-WAF service rotation features London Gateway (United Kingdom), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Le Havre (France), Casablanca (Morocco), Las Palmas (Spain), Dakar (Senegal), Conakry (Guinea), Lomé (Togo), Pointe Noire (Congo), Luanda (Angola), Walvis Bay (Namibia), and back to London.
The updated Carioca service begins from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), calls Santos (Brazil), Paranagua (Brazil), Itajai (Brazil), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Rio Grande (Brazil), Imbituba (Brazil), Itajai, Santos, Walvis Bay (Namibia), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Singapore (Singapore), Qingdao (China), Busan (South Korea), Ningbo (China), Shanghai (China), Shenzhen (Shekou, China), Singapore, Colombo (Sri Lanka), and returns to Santos.
On a local scale, MSC will launch the Namibia Express, connecting Cape Town and Walvis Bay, with a rotation of Cape Town (South Africa) to Walvis Bay (Namibia) and back to Cape Town (South Africa).
Additionally, MSC’s Mozambique Shuttle service will be extended to include Dar es Salaam and Mombasa, with Walvis Bay replacing Ngqura.
The new Mozambique Shuttle rotation will be Durban (South Africa), Maputo (Mozambique), Mombasa (Kenya), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Beira (Mozambique), Walvis Bay (Namibia), and back to Durban.
