HMM announced it will launch its new container service, the Mediterranean-West Africa Service (MA2), commencing this July. The service is a key part of HMM‘s hub-and-spoke strategy, which expands feeder networks from logistical hubs to secure a competitive edge.
The new MA2 service will leverage Algeciras, a key Mediterranean hub, to connect major West African ports. This structure is designed to maximize logistical efficiency by linking with HMM’s main east-west trade lanes and securing growth in the high-potential African market.
The service will be operated in cooperation with Ocean Network Express (ONE), deploying five 2,800 TEU container vessels. The first voyage is scheduled for the second week of July from Algeciras, Spain, with a total round-trip duration of 35 days.
The port rotation is as follows:
Algeciras (Spain) – Tangier (Morocco) – Dakar (Senegal) – Tema (Ghana) – Lekki (Nigeria) – Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) – Algeciras (Spain).
An HMM official stated, “The MA2 service will serve as a strategic gateway, effectively linking HMM’s core main-haul services with the high-potential emerging markets of Africa. Grounded in our hub-and-spoke strategy, we will continue to build a more comprehensive global network and grow alongside our customers by delivering differentiated value.”
Meanwhile, to bolster its core hub-and-spoke strategy, HMM has secured a total of 24 feeder vessels in the last six months. This fleet expansion includes ten 2,800 TEU ships ordered from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in March, two 1,900 TEU ships acquired from the market earlier this year, and twelve 1,800-2,700 TEU vessels ordered last October.
