In a statement, Maersk writes that the first feeder of this new service (3000 TEUs) will depart from SCCT at the east bound lane of the Suez Canal, on July 8th and will arrive at the APM Terminals Vado Ligure S.P.A. Terminal on July 14th, considerably reducing transit times from Asia to Northern Italy between 5 and up to 22 days, depending on where the cargo origin departure is at Busan in Korea or Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Shekou or Xingang in China.
Commenting on the new service, Leah Offutt, Maersk’s Central South Europe Managing Director, said:
“In an increasingly unpredictable environment, our customers ask for more reliable and agile supply chains – and this is exactly what the new Vado Express Service will deliver. Comprehensive ocean/rail/road solutions will significantly shorten transit time between Asia and locations across Northern Italy – the second most important EU location, behind Germany, for industrial production and it ranks third in exports of goods, just behind France. Our end-to-end logistics offerings is meant to give all these industries full control of their supply chains.”
Maersk states that Vado Ligure’s strategic location boasts strong connectivity between ocean, road, and rail, including a renewed intermodal set-up, allowing Technology, and Fast Moving Consumer Goods.
It is said that lifestyle and retail industries will benefit from faster and more frequent access to any inland North Italy location – particularly to and from Milan, Padova and Piacenza.