New direct Italy–Africa connection by Arkas
Arkas Line has launched a direct container shipping service connecting the eastern Mediterranean, Italy and West Africa. The new link, named the Med Africa Service (Mas), combines the existing Blue Med Service and West Africa Service. According to the Turkish carrier, the weekly service will offer faster and more reliable shipments than the previous model based on transhipments in Morocco. The Mas will call at the Italian ports of La Spezia, Genoa and Salerno, connecting them with African ports in Dakar, Lagos, Tema, Abidjan and Nouakchott. The line will be operated by ten vessels with capacities ranging from 1,600 to 2,500 TEU. The first voyage is scheduled for 20 October 2025.
Dutch investment for Kijfhoek
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure has announced a €30 million investment to support single-wagon transport operations at the Kijfhoek rail yard, near Rotterdam. The initiative aims to cut operating costs and make rail freight flows more reliable and sustainable. According to the ministry, the investment is part of a broader strategy to strengthen the country’s ports and industrial areas, with particular focus on the intermodal link between Rotterdam and the wider European network. Kijfhoek is one of the Netherlands’ main marshalling yards and plays a key role in handling single wagons for both domestic and cross-border traffic.
Medlog rail link in Georgia
Medlog, the logistics arm of the MSC Group, has launched a new rail service between the Tbilisi Dry Port and the Georgian Black Sea ports of Poti and Batumi. The Tbilisi terminal, inaugurated last April, is thus confirmed as a strategic hub for freight exchange in the Caucasus. The new link shortens transport times between inland areas and the ports, improving connectivity with MSC’s international maritime routes. The railway service also strengthens the dry port’s role as an intermodal hub, integrating storage and container handling operations. The initiative also supports trade flows between Asia and Europe.
Evergreen orders 14 containerships
Evergreen has ordered 14 liquefied natural gas-powered containerships, split evenly between the Chinese shipyard Guangzhou Shipyard International and South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries. Each vessel, with a capacity of 14,000 TEU, will cost around 200 million dollars, for a total investment of about 2.8 billion dollars (around 2.6 billion euros). Deliveries are scheduled between 2028 and 2030. The move confirms Evergreen’s strategy of balancing its orders between Korean and Chinese shipyards, as seen in February 2025 with the contract for 11 24,000-TEU containerships placed with GSI and Hanwha Ocean. With this renewal and expansion programme, the Taiwanese carrier, the world’s seventh largest by capacity, is preparing to surpass the two-million-TEU mark in its total fleet.
Kkr enters container leasing
US investment group Kkr has set up Galaxy Container Solutions, a new company specialising in container leasing and financing, with an initial capital of 500 million dollars. The operation is part of the group’s Asset-Based Finance strategy and will be backed by funds and credit accounts managed by Kkr. The company will be led by Jeffrey Gannon and Adrian Dunner, co-founders of Global Container International, formerly the world’s seventh-largest container leasing company, later acquired by Triton International. The new venture aims to capitalise on ongoing market consolidation and the steady demand for maritime transport containers.
