MSC adds Jeddah Islamic Port to new India-West Med service

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has included Jeddah Islamic Port to its new India-West Mediterranean route.

The India – West Med service will open a new trade corridor between the key markets of Indian Subcontinent and Western Mediterranean.

MSC’s new service was first announced in December 2022.

With its first sailing launched on 19 December 2022 from Khalifa Port on board container vessel MSC SHANGHAI, the service calls at the ports of Jebel Ali, Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Djibouti, Gioia Tauro, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Salerno, Marsaxlokk, King Abdullah, and Jeddah Islamic Port.

The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) said the latest route “will unearth a new world of trade opportunities and promote manufacturing industries across the region through direct connectivity.”

READ: Jeddah Islamic Port handles record container volumes in October

The service can link Mundra to Genoa within 19 days and Nhava Sheva to Barcelona within 16 days, resulting in lesser transshipments and faster transit times.

Jeddah Islamic Port also recently received the first vessel on the Himalaya Express shipping service operated by MSC.

First announced in September 2022, the shipping service connects the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to 260 global ports across Northern Europe, the Americas, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Subcontinent, and Eastern Asia.