As the shipping line struggles to sustain a weekly sailing frequency on major commercial routes, Mediterranean Shipping Co. (MSC) is increasingly reducing Indian ports of call.
As a result, MSC’s main services between India and the United States and Europe are now frequently sailing directly into Mundra Port, skipping the first JNPT/Nhava Sheva port call. Nhava Sheva is roughly 300 nautical miles from Mundra. The carrier has ‘own terminal advantages’ in Mundra, allowing it to turn around vessels faster. The largest container handler in Mundra, the Adani International Container Terminal (AICTPL), is a strategic investment collaboration between port owner Adani Group and MSC.
After the MSC Altair – one of the vessels deployed on the INDUSA Service – skipping Nhava Sheva in Week 11 and instead was to have arrived directly in Mundra on 15 March, MSC has issued a new advisory announcing yet another Nhava Sheva omission on the same service. “Wish to advise you that in view of the ongoing capacity alignments, MSC Rosa M on the Himalaya Services, will now phase-in to the INDUSA service, and will continue her port call rotation on the INDUSA service. However, in view of severe delays faced at the previous ports of call, and to enable maintain the schedule integrity, MSC Rosa M, voyage IV211A, will be forced to skip the Nhava Sheva call, and will proceed to call Mundra,” the carrier said in its notice to customers.
