en.Wedoany.com Reported - Maersk will launch the "West Coast Shuttle" service, connecting Mexico's west coast with Panama and Ecuador, to enhance regional connectivity and provide an alternative route for cargo originating from Asia.
The new service has a total transit time of three weeks, with port calls sequentially at Manzanillo (Mexico), Lázaro Cárdenas, Balboa, Posorja (Guayaquil), Balboa, and then returning to Manzanillo, linking key logistics hubs along Latin America's Pacific coast.
The maiden voyage is scheduled to depart from Lázaro Cárdenas on September 11, operated by the "AS Palina," with a capacity of 2,556 TEU, and is expected to arrive at Posorja Port on September 20. Subsequent sailings will deploy the "Maersk Newcastle" (2,532 TEU) and "Hansa Europe" (3,646 TEU) to increase capacity.
The new service will replace the current single-vessel shuttle service connecting Balboa and Posorja, which is operated by the "AS Stine" with a capacity of 1,762 TEU.
The new route will allow cargo from Asia destined for Posorja to be transshipped via Mexico, compensating for the upcoming omission of this Ecuadorian port from the "AC1" service rotations. The "AC1" service connects the Far East, Mexico, and the west coast of South America. This adjustment aims to maintain a stable connection for Ecuador's commercial flows with Asia amid changes in Maersk's service network.
