Hapag-Lloyd launches new WA1 – West Africa Service

• Freetown, Conakry, and Monrovia – three ports are added to the service portfolio
• Establish Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia as new markets

Hapag-Lloyd announces new Container WA1 Service (West Africa Service 1) with a fortnightly frequency, connecting Tanger Med, Nouakchott, Freetown, Conakry, Monrovia, and back to Tanger Med. The first sailing is scheduled for May 15th.

This new service is designed to establish Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia as new markets for Hapag-Lloyd and ensure continuity of service to Mauritania. Hapag-Lloyd will introduce with the WA1 the ports of Freetown, Conakry, and Monrovia to its service portfolio. The company will be represented by 3rd party agents in these ports.

"We are excited to launch our new WA1 Service," says Dheeraj Bhatia, Senior Managing Director, Region Middle East, India and Africa at Hapag-Lloyd. "The service’s launch reaffirms Hapag-Lloyd’s strong commitment to expanding its presence in (West) Africa. It will enable us to better serve our customers and offer them more flexible and efficient solutions. Our customers in this region will have access to Hapag-Lloyd's global network via Tangier and will see the added opportunities by expanding our operations to new markets in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia."

In addition, Hapag-Lloyd announces a new rotation and new timing for its WAX Service – West Africa Express, connecting Tanger Med, Dakar, Tema, Abidjan, and back to Tanger Med with a weekly frequency. The first sailing with new rotation is scheduled for May 7th.

The WAX Service will offer a weekly product for both import and export markets and provide more flexibility to customers. Additionally, the service has high reefer plug availability and an inland haulage product into Mali and Burkina Faso.

For more information on Hapag-Lloyd’s Africa services see Africa - Hapag-Lloyd