MSC's Mustang loop faces uncertainty as transpac rates fall
MEDITERRANEAN Shipping Company's (MSC) planned China-US West Coast "Mustang" service, appears to be in limbo as transpacific freight rates decline, reports St Petersburg's PortNews.
Launched initially in October 2021, Mustang was discontinued in June 2022 when the pandemic-driven shipping boom subsided.
MSC, now the world biggest container shipping company, attempted to relaunch the service in July 2024, capitalising on a surge in freight rates caused by the Red Sea crisis. But congestion near Singapore caused delays, impacting the planned calls at Yantian, Ningbo, Shanghai and Long Beach.
According to Linerlytica, as of today, MSC's new standalone east-west service deployment is fully operational, but the Mustang service remains without allocated vessels.
MSC's official website and the liner database EconDB do not reference the latest attempt to resume Mustang service at the beginning of February. The 19,462-TEU MSC Eloane, previously designated for the Mustang route, is currently deployed on MSC's Jaguar China-US West Coast service.
source:Schednet
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