Hapag-Lloyd will launch two standalone container shipping services connecting Asia with Latin America in 2027, expanding its network with dedicated connections to Mexico and the East Coast of South America.
The new services, AMX and ASX, will operate independently within the German carrier’s network. The AMX service is scheduled to commence in January 2027, while ASX is planned for April 2027.
The AMX service will provide weekly sailings between Asia and Mexico, with the planned port rotation covering Ningbo, Qingdao, Busan, Ensenada, Manzanillo and Lázaro Cárdenas. Transshipment connections in Mexico will offer access to additional destinations along the West Coast of Latin America.
The ASX service will connect Asia with the East Coast of South America, calling at Qingdao, Ningbo, Shekou, Tanjung Pelepas, Santos, Itajaí, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Santos, Singapore and Qingdao.
Feeder connections via Rio Grande will extend the service’s reach to Montevideo in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Both services will include direct calls at Qingdao, strengthening connections between northern China and Latin American markets. Hapag-Lloyd said the new standalone services would improve regional connectivity, provide customers with additional routing options and offer greater operational control.
The launch of ASX comes as Hapag-Lloyd prepares to exit its existing vessel-sharing arrangement with MSC and Ocean Network Express (ONE) on the Asia–East Coast South America trade. MSC and ONE have announced plans to continue their Ipanema/SX1 service without Hapag-Lloyd from April 2027.
However, Hapag-Lloyd has not explicitly identified ASX as a replacement for its existing AS2 service.
The carrier has yet to disclose the number of vessels, deployed capacity or first sailing dates for either service. Detailed schedules and further operational information are expected closer to their respective launch dates.