Maersk Line, the world's largest shipping line which last year chose to shift its central Mediterranean hub port from Gioia Tauro to Malta Freeport Terminals recently introduced several new services which are calling regularly at the Freeport. These include the mainline services ‘AE20’, the ‘Aegean Sea Service’ and the feeder services ‘L28’ and ‘L45’.
AE20 Service
The mainline service ‘AE20’ is now calling eastbound between Asia and Europe on a weekly basis. This service already calls at Malta Freeport westbound, also on a weekly basis. Ten vessels with a maximum carrying capacity of 9,600 TEUs are deployed on this service.
Service Ports of Call
AE20 Eastbound Valencia – Malaga – Algeciras – Malta Freeport - Port Said - Port Klang – Singapore – Xiamen – Shanghai – Ningbo – Yantian – Nansha New Port
Aegean Sea Service
Another service which started calling recently on a weekly basis at the Freeport is the ‘Aegean Sea Service’ which is operated by Seago Line, a liner company which since 2011 started handling the Intra-European container activities on behalf of the Maersk Group. In North Europe, the ‘Aegean Sea Service’ is covering the main markets and offers connections from Felixstowe, Bremerhaven and Antwerp. Undoubtedly, the addition of the weekly connection from the port of Felixstowe will be welcomed favourably by local entrepreneurs as this connection offers them a transit time of just 10 days from Felixstowe to Malta Freeport. This service also offers a comprehensive coverage of ports in Turkey and connections to Piraeus and Valencia.
Service Ports of Call
Aegean Sea Service: Felixstowe – Bremenhaven – Antwerp - Malta Freeport – Piraeus – Gebze – Ambarli – Gemlik – Izmir – Valencia
‘L28’ and ‘L45’ Feeder Services
Seago Line is also using the Freeport’s facilities on a regular basis for two Feeder Services, namely ‘L28 Service’ and ‘L45 Service’. These two services strengthen Malta Freeport’s connections with the Libyan market which is now being served by an increasing amount of carriers. The ‘L28 Service’ offers a shuttle service to Benghazi from Malta Freeport whilst the ‘L45 Service’ provides a number of port connections in Libya and Tunisia.
Service Ports of Call
L28 Malta Freeport – Benghazi – Malta Freeport
L45 Malta Freeport – Sfax – Misurata – El Khoms - Malta Freeport
About Maersk Line
Maersk Line is the core liner shipping activity of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, and the leading container shipping company in the world. The Maersk Line fleet comprises over 500 vessels and a number of containers corresponding to more than 1,900,000 TEU thus guaranteeing a reliable and comprehensive coverage worldwide.
Maersk Line currently employs 16,900 employees and 7,600 Seafarers and has around 325 representation offices located in more than 125 countries.
Maersk Line and Seago Line are represented locally by Thomas Smith Group.