Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced on September 9, 2024, the details of its shipping routes that, from February 2025, will be operated independently following the end of its 2M alliance with Maersk. The new East/West network will be structured around five major trade lanes and will include 34 distinct routes. These will consist of seven routes between Asia and Northern Europe, six between Asia and the Mediterranean, four between Asia and the West Coast of North America, six between Asia and the East Coast of North America, and eleven transatlantic routes.
MSC emphasized that a key aspect of the offering will be the ability for customers to choose between two strategic corridors: the Suez Canal route and the Cape of Good Hope route. These routes will provide more than 1,900 pairs of direct port connections via the Suez Canal and 1,800 pairs via the Cape of Good Hope, offering flexible options and extensive geographic coverage. MSC also clarified that the 2025 East/West network will not significantly impact its other global routes, which will continue to operate without major changes in tonnage or distribution.
