MSC adjusts South American shipping services and routes

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is restructuring its maritime services in South America. The company announced that the current Vessel Sharing Agreement (VSA) for the Ipanema service, which includes ONE and Hapag-Lloyd, will end in its current configuration. MSC and ONE will continue to operate the service jointly with weekly departures from Asia to the east coast of South America, starting April 3, 2027. This new arrangement will see MSC adding more vessels to strengthen its presence on the route, which includes stops in Shanghai, Singapore, Santos, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires.

In a related operational development, the container ship MSC Müge completed its first call at Terminal Pacífico Sur (TPS) in Chile after navigating through the Strait of Magellan. The vessel, part of MSC’s NWC-USA-SAWC service connecting Europe and South America, moved 1,865 containers during its 24-hour stay. The transit through the Strait of Magellan required security support from the Chilean Navy during Operation Froward to manage the complex navigation of the Paso Tortuoso sector.