Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has announced a review of its service network between Asia and Northern Europe, with modifications to three regular routes that affect connectivity, transit times, and market coverage in this trade corridor. The Griffin, Condor, and Silk services will operate with new rotations starting from late March to early April 2026, according to information published by the Swiss shipping company, a world leader in container transport. Of the three, the Condor service is the only one that includes a stop at the Port of Algeciras, which maintains its position as the first European stop of the line heading westbound.
The restructuring is part of the Asia-North Europe network that MSC operates entirely via the route around the Cape of Good Hope, the established alternative to the Suez Canal that major shipping lines have maintained since instability in the Red Sea forced traffic to divert at the end of 2023. The entire network for 2026 includes seven services named Albatross, Lion, Swan, Britannia, Griffin, Condor, and Silk, which connect the main ports of China, South Korea, Southeast Asia, India, and Sri Lanka with terminals in the UK, mainland Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic, and, in the case of the Condor service, also Algeciras.
The Condor service, of special relevance to the Campo de Gibraltar, unveils a new rotation that keeps the Port of Algeciras as the first European stop heading westbound (Asia-Europe). The updated sequence of the service is Qingdao, Ningbo, Yantian, Singapore, Algeciras, Felixstowe, Hamburg, Antwerp, and back to Qingdao. The rotation will take effect with the vessel HMM Oslo, voyage 0019W, whose estimated arrival in Qingdao is scheduled for March 31, 2026. The indicative transit times from Asian origin ports to Algeciras range from 28 days from Singapore to 42 days from Qingdao, positioning the port of Algeciras as a direct entry point for goods coming from northern and southern China.
Heading eastbound (Europe-Asia), the Condor service offers direct connections from Algeciras to the main discharge ports in China, with transit times of 59 days to Qingdao, 63 to Ningbo, and 68 to Yantian. The shipping company describes the service as an efficient connection between northern and southern China and the main ports of Northern Europe, with comprehensive coverage from Asia to Algeciras.
The Griffin service also experiences significant changes. Its new rotation will be Busan, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Singapore, Southampton, Rotterdam, Southampton, Singapore, Laem Chabang, Vung Tau, Haiphong, Yantian, and Busan. The update will take effect with the vessel YM Wonderland, voyage 0030W, with an estimated arrival in Busan on April 4, 2026. MSC presents this service as a direct corridor between South Korea, Taiwan, and the major Asian ports with Southampton and Rotterdam, in addition to incorporating new direct discharge stops in Vietnam, specifically in Vung Tau and Haiphong.
For its part, the Silk service will feature a compact rotation connecting Shanghai and Busan with Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Le Havre. The new sequence will start operating with the vessel ONE Integrity, voyage 0009W, whose estimated arrival in Shanghai is April 6, 2026. The shipping company presents this line as the option with the fastest transit times between South Korea and China with the Netherlands, Germany, and France, with transits of 36 days from Busan to Rotterdam and 42 days from Shanghai to the same destination.
The remaining four services in the Asia-North Europe network maintain their current rotations. The Albatross service connects ports in northern China and South Korea with Felixstowe, London Gateway, Bremerhaven, and Gdansk, with an extension to New York and Charleston eastbound. The Lion service links Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Yantian with Sines, Le Havre, Hamburg, and Rotterdam, also offering stops in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali on the return trip. The Swan connects Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, and Yantian with Felixstowe, Antwerp, Gothenburg, and Aarhus, providing exclusive coverage to Scandinavian ports. The Britannia line, for its part, covers Shanghai, Nansha, Yantian, Vung Tau, and Colombo with Felixstowe, Rotterdam, Zeebrugge, Antwerp, and Baltic ports such as Gdansk, Gdynia, and Klaipeda.
The service guide published by MSC indicates that all transit times are indicative and subject to change. The shipping company assures that with these updates, it maintains its commitment to offering direct services, optimized transit times, and reliable global coverage in the Asia-North Europe corridor.