A new shipping service, christened Britannia by its operators, MSC, has docked in Liverpool at the end of its maiden voyage. Peel Ports, the operators of Liverpool’s famous riverside docks, welcomed the first call of the new direct container service connecting the UK’s North West with the Far East just a few days ago.
MSC’s new Britannia Service creates a direct corridor between the two markets. It also opens up export and import opportunities for businesses looking to utilise the Port of Liverpool’s geographically convenient location for onward distribution into the Midlands and North of England, and Scotland.
Importance of the UK market
Peel Ports, who operate Liverpool’s port facilities, say the new service follows “increased demand from retailers and importers looking to diversify their supply chain, improve resiliency and reduce total road miles by ensuring goods arrive closer to their end destination.” The first sailing for the service saw the MSC Tokyo tie up on 16 August in Liverpool from Vietnam, after leaving China.
MSC says that the Britannia service creates a new, standalone loop, connecting Asia To North Europe. The naming of the service clearly reflects the importance of the UK market. “MSC announce the creation of its new service that will provide increased port connections via a unique corridor from China – Vietnam to Liverpool”, said the carrier.
Continued logistics chain disruption
According to MSC, the new loop provides access to the Vietnamese port of Vung Tau, creating a direct service to Liverpool and hubs in Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg, connecting Scandinavia and Baltic Destinations. “This will increase our coverage from China and Vietnam to the UK and Northwest Continent,” added MSC.
The first sailing was made by the vessel MSC Toyko, which cast off from Shanghai on 1 July. The originally scheduled vessel (MSC Denisse X), was rerouted, possibly due to the continued logistics chain disruption in the Red Sea. The full rotation on the Britannia route is: Shanghai – Ningbo – Yantian – Vung Tau – Liverpool – Rotterdam – Antwerp – Hamburg – London gateway – Singapore – Shanghai.
Smarter and more sustainable solution
“This highly anticipated direct service connecting Asia with Liverpool which will significantly enhance our customer offering in the UK,” said Michael Collins, Commercial Director at MSC UK. “The Britannia Service allows customers in the North-West of the UK to bring their cargo closer to its final destination.”
The destination port was also eager to receive the 8500 TEU-capacity ship. “The new Britannia service is a significant benefit for Liverpool, and indeed the North,” said David Huck, Chief Operating Officer at Peel Ports Group. The group has extesnive expansion plans for Liverpool in the coming years. “In collaboration with MSC, we are able to provide businesses with a smarter and more sustainable solution to goods reaching the major distribution hubs of the UK.” The vessel departed after a day for Hamburg.