MSC is to introduce a new call at the Port of Liverpool, as part of a rotation including Canada, Turkey and various southern European ports. The news comes after the 2M shipping alliance confirmed at the end of 2018 that Liverpool will be a permanent call on its TA4 transatlantic service.

In February, Peel Ports also announced that it was aiming to create 250 jobs, mostly in Liverpool, to deal with expected extra demand. This new service is particularly expected to drive business growth in the company’s rail and short-sea feeder services to and from Scotland.

Mark Whitworth, Chief Executive of Peel Ports said: “The tide continues to turn in Liverpool’s favour as shipping lines and their customers see the evidence for how our location can benefit the whole supply chain. This is another vote of confidence in the North West and our location for bringing the heart of the UK economy closer to their international markets.”

Michael Collins, Commercial Director of MSC UK commented, “We’ve been offering our customers leading connections between Liverpool and our global routes for more than 18 years so inevitably the Port of Liverpool has become an integral part of our UK ocean and landside operations.

As we continue to grow our presence in the North West of the UK, we’re seeing greater customer interest in our services to/from Liverpool and we’re very much looking forward to continuing that trend, and our relationship with Peel Ports.”

The rotation for the new service is: Turkey – Italy – France – Spain – Portugal – UK Liverpool – Canada.

The route will be served by eight 5500 TEU vessels with two calls per week.

In 2018 Peel Ports introduced a rail freight service directly from the Port of Liverpool in partnership with DB Cargo. It is now the only major UK container terminal to offer tri-modal connectivity, with road, rail and water, the Manchester Ship Canal, plus short-sea shipping.