Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has introduced a Europe-Red Sea-Middle East Express service, with the first sailing scheduled from Antwerp on 10 May, reports London's Container Management.

The eastbound rotation will cover Gdansk, Klaipeda, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Valencia, Barcelona, Gioia Tauro, Abu Kir, King Abdullah Port, Jeddah and Aqaba. It marks the first time the service will provide direct calls at two Saudi ports and Jordan's Aqaba.

Connectivity to the UAE and upper Gulf will be handled via feeder and trucking-based multimodal solutions rather than direct vessel calls. MSC said the service draws on its wider European network, covering origins across Northwest Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic, West Mediterranean, Adriatic, East Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

The launch comes as carriers continue to restructure Red Sea routing in response to security disruptions since late 2023. Longer diversions via the Cape of Good Hope have created demand for more direct and reliable alternatives on the Europe-Middle East corridor.

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