International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said its Subic port operation now services Mediterranean Shipping Company’s (MSC) expanded intra-Asia route called Seahorse service.
The service will provide industries in northern and central Luzon with a reliable link to global markets, especially Europe and the United States, ICTSI said.
This follows after ICTSI unit Subic Bay International Terminals facilitated the maiden call of the 2475 twenty-foot equivalent unit-capacity MSC Sotiria III — one of the vessels operating MSC’s expanded Seahorse service.
MSC is the largest container line in terms of capacity. With access to an integrated network of road, rail and sea transport resources worldwide, the Swiss-Italian maritime giant sails on more than 230 trade routes and calls over 500 ports.
The intra-Asia route offers direct connections and competitive transit times for long-haul cargo from Greater China and Southeast Asia, as well as comprehensive port coverage between Indonesia, South China, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.
Aside from making regular calls in Subic, the updated service also calls North Port in Manila, which was already part of the previous port rotation.
In addition to its comprehensive coverage of Asian ports, the Seahorse service also establishes an improved connection between Subic and Singapore, which could help speed up shipments of dry and reefer imports by MSC from Europe, US, Canada, South America and other long-haul markets covered by MSC.
“The updated rotation covers Tanjung Pelepas — Singapore — Manila — Subic — Kaohsiung — Vung Tau — Tanjung Pelepas,” ICTSI said.
“Industries including agriculture, automotive, electronics, construction and garments can take advantage of the service’s connection to major transshipment hubs like Singapore, Vung Tau and Tanjung Pelepas, as well as the seamless connectivity to MSC’s global ocean liner network, to ship their products worldwide,” it added.