Switzerland-based Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has upgraded its New Falcon service by providing a direct call at Hamad Port.
The new service is the first ever regular service between Hamad Port and Shanghai, according to Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani Qatar).
The upgraded New Falcon service commenced with the 9,400 TEU containership MSC Elma leaving Shanghai on January 5 and arriving in Hamad on January 26, 2017.
“The addition to the company’s New Falcon service , will see container volumes able to travel west from the Far East and South East Asia to Qatar,” MSC said.
“The new facility will also serve volumes out of South and East India, via Colombo. It will help to meet the growing demand of Qatar’s export market, by offering direct connections via Mundra Port to worldwide destinations,” MSC added.
With the new direct call, Hamad Port is expected to provide an increased container throughput with a capacity of 2 million containers per year, eventually increasing this number to 7 million, according to Mwani Qatar.
The enhanced New Falcon service will include the following ports: Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan (China), Singapore (Singapore), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Jebel Ali (UAE), Hamad (Qatar), Dammam, Jubail (Saudi Arabia), Umm Qasr (Iraq), Mundra (India).