ZIM, Hapag-Lloyd, CMA CGM and MSC Reshuffle Asia-South America East Coast Routes
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The main container lines operating between Asia and the East Coast of South America (ECSA) are reshuffling their container services. ZIM and Hapag-Lloyd announced a joint operation under the names ZFS and AS3, expected to begin in mid-September 2026. The revised itinerary includes Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Yantian, Rio Grande, Paranaguá, Itajaí, Santos and Rio de Janeiro, and with this change Montevideo and Buenos Aires are no longer direct calls, meaning the connection to the River Plate will now be made via Rio Grande.
CMA CGM Expands Its Network Starting in December
On September 30, CMA CGM announced a reorganization of its SEAS 2 and SEAS A services starting mid-December 2026, aimed at expanding port coverage and improving direct connections. The new SEAS 2 will begin on December 14 with the departure of the vessel CMA CGM Cobalt from Tianjin, calling at ports such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá, Itapoá and Itajaí. SEAS A will start on December 17 from Ningbo with the CMA CGM Xenon, including calls at Santos, Navegantes, Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Coega, the latter subject to berthing window confirmation.
Maersk's Previous Adjustments
On March 4, 2025, Maersk had launched the weekly ASAS2 service to complement its ASAS service between Asia and ECSA, with the first departure scheduled from Shanghai on April 9 of that year. On April 15, 2026, the carrier announced the cancellation of two ASAS2 sailings and offered ASAS as an alternative. Subsequently, on April 20, 2026, Maersk published an update to the ASAS port rotation, clarifying that no calls were being added or removed, with an itinerary that includes Shanghai, Ningbo, Hong Kong, Yantian, Santos, Itapoá, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Paranaguá, Port Elizabeth and Singapore.
MSC and ONE Take Over the Ipanema Service
At the same time, MSC reported that the vessel sharing agreement (VSA) for the Ipanema service, operated until now together with ONE and Hapag-Lloyd, will come to an end in its current configuration. MSC and ONE will jointly operate the weekly sailing without Hapag-Lloyd starting with the first departure from Shanghai scheduled for April 3, 2027, with MSC deploying additional vessels. The service will maintain direct calls at Santos, Paranaguá and Navegantes, in addition to the River Plate ports of Montevideo and Buenos Aires, with a rotation that also includes Rio Grande.
