HMM has presented in Valencia its MA2 service between the Mediterranean and West Africa, a connection that has been operating since last July with Algeciras as the head of a rotation that includes stops in Tangier Med, Dakar, Tema, Lekki, and Abidjan.
The meeting was attended by representatives from HMM, Sea & Ports Group, and the port and logistics sector. From Algeciras, Nicolás Martínez Andión, head of the Business Development and Marketing Area of the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay (APBA), and Maribel Grau, commercial director of TTI Algeciras, were present.
El Estrecho Digital already reported on April 19 about the announcement made by HMM to initiate this connection with West Africa, whose operation was scheduled for July. The shipping company later communicated that the MA2 would start from Algeciras on July 7 and complete each rotation in 35 days.
The line is jointly operated by HMM and Ocean Network Express (ONE). The South Korean company markets it under the name Mediterranean-West Africa Service (MA2), while ONE uses the name Mediterranean Africa Express Service (MAX).
The rotation established by both companies comprises Algeciras, Tangier Med, Dakar, Tema, Lekki, and Abidjan, with a subsequent return to Algeciras. HMM announced five container ships with an individual capacity of 2,800 TEU and a complete cycle of 35 days for this operation. ONE, for its part, communicated a weekly frequency for the MAX.
Algeciras also serves as a connection point for the MA2 with other maritime services of HMM. In its commercial communication prior to the start of the line, the shipping company detailed that goods coming from Asia could link to the MA2 through the FE3 and FIM services in Algeciras, while the MP2 performed this function via Tangier Med.
ONE also identifies Algeciras and Tangier Med as the two Mediterranean connection points for this line. The company notes that MAX allows linking West Africa with markets in the Far East, northern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, North America, and Latin America through its network of international services.
This structure is complemented by the feeder connections disseminated by APBA from Algeciras to Bilbao, Vigo, Lisbon, Leixões, Valencia, Barcelona, and Casablanca.
During the presentation held in Valencia, Alex Seo, managing director of HMM for Europe, referred to the company's presence in TTI Algeciras and to the incorporation of the MA2 within its activity in Spain. According to what was stated during the meeting, the position of the shipping company in TTI Algeciras, along with the MA2 service, allows considering Spain as a hub for HMM and expanding access to new markets.
The MA2 is part of the expansion of the regional network announced by HMM in April. When announcing the service, the company informed that it had secured 24 feeder ships during the previous six months. That set consisted of ten units of 2,800 TEUs commissioned to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, two ships of 1,900 TEUs purchased in the market, and twelve units between 1,800 and 2,700 TEUs contracted earlier.
HMM also indicated that the MA2 represented its entry into the traffic of West Africa through a structure based on connections from Algeciras and Tangier Med. The company linked the new line with its main services between Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean from its announcement.
The presentation now held in Valencia comes after the first months of operation of the MA2/MAX. Algeciras continues as the starting and ending port of the rotation and as one of the points used to connect the service with other HMM and ONE lines.