News / MSC bridges the strife with new Europe-Red Sea-Middle East Express

Photo: AD Ports Group

With fighting in the Persian Gulf flaring up again over the weekend, container lines serving markets trapped behind the blocked Strait of Hormuz have begun to further formalise their landbridge supply chains.

MSC announced this morning it would launch the Europe-Red Sea-Middle East Express service, “in response to the growing demand for services from Europe to the Red Sea, and to the challenging scenario in the Middle East”.

It said: “The service will call at strategic ports in Europe directly connecting to King Abdullah Port, Jeddah, Aqaba, and with connections to POD [ports of destination] in the Gulf (UAE and Upper Gulf) through our multimodal service.

“It is designed to provide reliable, efficient, and competitive shipping options, with improved transit times to suit all kinds of cargo,” MSC added.

The port rotation is: Gdansk-Klaipeda-Bremerhaven-Antwerp-Valencia-Barcelona-Gioia Tauro-Abu Kir-King Abdullah-Jeddah-Aqaba.

MSC has yet to reveal the full vessel deployment for the new service, but said the first sailing was scheduled to depart Antwerp on 10 May.

The Red Sea port calls at King Abdullah, Jeddah, and Aqaba will allow MSC customers landbridge access to both the upper and lower Gulf regions, while an MSC map of its planned Gulf network indicates volumes trucked across Saudi Arabia will be loaded onto intra-Gulf feeder ships:

Source: MSC

In a separate development, Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group has signed an MoU with CMA CGM and its CMA Terminals Khalifa Port container terminal “to develop efficient intermodal solutions and extend inland reach across the UAE and wider region”.

The partners intend to “anchor cargo flows across AD Ports Group’s consolidated network of rail-linked inland container depots, dry ports, and cargo depots, extending CMA Terminals Khalifa Port’s reach beyond the quay to inland consumer, industrial, and regional markets”.

Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, group CEO of AD Ports Group, said: “This MoU marks an important step in consolidating the UAE’s inland intermodal logistics backbone under one integrated platform.

“By bringing CMA CGM as the first global shipping line partner into this network, we are extending CMA Terminals Khalifa Port beyond its traditional role at the quay and creating a more connected, flexible, and resilient trade gateway for the UAE and the wider region.”

He added: “This initiative directly supports national industrial growth ambitions by strengthening inbound cargo access, improving corridor optionality, and enhancing the long-term competitiveness of national supply chains.”

The CMA CGM terminal in AD Ports’ Khalifa hub in Abu Dahbi – CMA Terminals Khalifa Port – is a joint-venture between CMA CGM (70%) and AD Ports Group(30%) and formally launched operations in December 2024.

In contrast with nearby Dubai, where DP World’s Jebel Ali facilities have retained their common user status, the CMA CGM terminal in Abu Dhabi is one of three carrier-controlled terminals in the port, the other two operated by MSC and Cosco.

Jesper Stenbak, regional director in the Middle East Gulf, Indian Sub-Continent and Indian Ocean at CMA CGM Group, said: “By linking maritime services more directly to inland cargo flows, this partnership supports more efficient routing, stronger supply chain resilience and improved service reach for our customers.”