Andre Klynsmith

Shipping and Logistics

Walvis Bay comes into play as MSC redesigns southern Africa network

Fresh from acquiring control of the New Container Terminal in the Namibian port of Walvis Bay via a 25-year operating concession, MSC has unveiled a redesigned southern Africa network.

The world’s largest container shipping line announced plans to develop Walvis Bay into a transhipment hub for southern Africa cargo, while continuing to use Cape Town as a partial transhipment hub for its deepsea NWC (Europe)-South Africa service.

“Walvis Bay will become our new transhipment hub on the Southern Africa west coast, facilitating the movement of goods from Europe via our NWC to South Africa service,” MSC stated in a customer advisory.

New Shipping Services

According to the eeSea liner database, MSC deploys nine vessels on this service, each with an average capacity of 7,900 TEU.

The redesigned mainline service includes the launch of two new feeder loops from Walvis Bay:

• Namibia Express Service: A pendulum route between Walvis Bay and Cape Town with a three-day transit time, launching on 8 January with the departure of the 2,100 TEU MSC Himanshi.
• Mozambique Shuttle Service: Relaunched with MSC’s new terminal capacity in Namibia, beginning 14 January with the 2,800 TEU MSC Imma III. The route will include Beira-Walvis Bay-Durban-Maputo-Mombasa-Dar Es Salaam-Beira.

Key Changes and Improvements

One of the main changes is that Walvis Bay will now handle transhipment cargo instead of South African terminals, which have been facing operational challenges.

MSC confirmed: “For cargo import/export Europe, Walvis Bay will serve as a transhipment hub for cargo destined for Maputo and Beira.”

The revised service will have its first southbound call at Walvis Bay on 20 January with the departure of the 4,900 TEU MSC Rosaria from London Gateway.

Additionally, the Ngqura (Coega) port call has been dropped in favor of Port Elizabeth. The full port rotation is as follows:

London Gateway - Bremerhaven - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Le Havre - Sines - Las Palmas - Walvis Bay - Port Elizabeth - Durban - Cape Town - Las Palmas - London Gateway.

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Andre Klynsmith is a dynamic entrepreneur and technology enthusiast, with a fervent passion for innovation and its potential to revolutionize industries.

His expertise lies in the realms of technology, blockchain, transport, and logistics, where he consistently demonstrates his visionary thinking and dedication to driving positive change..

Written by Andre Klynsmith

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