Swiss shipping major MSC and Israel-based shipowner ZIM Integrated Shipping Services have signed an operational cooperation agreement encompassing several trades.
As explained, the cooperation scope includes services connecting the Indian subcontinent with the East Mediterranean, the East Mediterranean with Northern Europe, and services connecting East Asia with Oceania.
Furthermore, the agreement between ZIM and MSC includes vessel sharing, slot purchases, and swap arrangements.
The service restructuring is aimed to ensure improved service reliability and offers seamless connections to other ZIM services operating in Asia and the Mediterranean.
“Our decade-long partnership with MSC spanned across multiple trades over the years, and today encompass, among others, Asia, the Pacific Northwest, Oceania, India, East-Med, Northern Europe, and more. Our agile strategy enabled us once again to promptly adapt to changing market dynamics, ensuring that we continue to best meet our customers’ needs with our signature personalized service, supported by cutting-edge digital tools,” Eli Glickman, ZIM President & CEO, said.
“Capitalizing on this opportunity with MSC will improve efficiencies in our fleet and is consistent with our focus on taking proactive steps amidst continued near-term headwinds in the container shipping market. We expect that this strategic cooperation will benefit ZIM both operationally and financially, and it is another testament to our agility,” Glickman added.
As part of its fleet expansion quest, MSC has recently christened another 24,166 TEU containership in a ceremony held in Trieste, Italy. MSC Nicola Mastro belongs to the company’s new record-breaking Celestino Maresca class ships. The unit was designed by Chinese shipbuilder Hudong-Zhonghua.