ZIM has announced that it will be restructuring and upgrading its services in the East Mediterranean beginning November 28, 2016.
With the added calls to the ports of Aliaga and Iskenderun in Turkey, Damietta in Egypt and Ashdod in Israel, the new structure aims to extend East Mediterranean coverage and improve transit time.
The newly introduced Thessaloniki (Greece) route to Damietta link will cater for the growing reefer trade on this route, offering fast transit times.
The new structure reads as follows:
Turkey Greece Express (TGX) with 2×1600 TEU vessels, on the following rotation:
- Haifa – Antalya – Mersin – Piraeus – Thessaloniki – Izmir – Damietta – Haifa
Turkey Israel Express (TIX) with 3×2800 TEU vessels, on the following rotation:
- Piraeus – Istanbul – Izmit – Gemlik – Aliaga – Piraeus – Mersin – Iskenderun – Ashdod – Haifa – Piraeus
Rani Ben Yehuda, VP Cross Suez and Atlantic Trades for ZIM, said: “ZIM continues to respond to the market’s needs and improve its services. This new structure provides more options and enhanced service levels to our customers”
PTI recently reported that ZIM was rumoured to be selling its container network in order to emerge as a major player in the Mediterranean shipping market as a carrier; ZIM is based in Singapore, but is listed in Israel and the US and is estimated to be valued at US$267 million.
