Malaga becomes first stop on maritime route between China and Europe

"We're in the Champions League," the Malaga Port Authority said on Friday, when multinational shipping company MSC (one of the largest in the world) announced its decision to make Malaga the first European port of call for a new direct container route from China. The city's port therefore becomes the main route for goods to reach southern Europe from China.

The plan is for ships on the Dragon route to depart from Ningbo and make stops in Shanghai, Yantian, Singapore and Malaga. Once in the Mediterranean, they also make several stops in Italy: Genoa, La Spezia and Naples. Afterwards, they return to Portugal (Sines) and from there head to the US: Boston, New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Savannah and Freeport. Then they begin their return journey to Ningbo.

"The benefits for Malaga are enormous, because the city opens the door for Europe and is the only port on the way to Italy," the Port Authority stated. The route passes around the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) and enters through the Strait of Gibraltar, avoiding the conflicts surrounding the Suez Canal.

This is an unprecedented decision, adding new cargo to an infrastructure already operating at record TEU volumes. The trip will last more than 30 days, with all containers destined for Spain, Portugal and a large part of France scheduled to be unloaded in Malaga.

The container ships on this route will have a capacity of between 15,000 and 20,000 TEUs. "We're no longer just talking about an import service for our local area, but an international one." Although the Port Authority doesn't yet have an exact figure, the initial forecast is that between 700 and 1,000 units can be unloaded at the Malaga docks during each weekly call.

"On our Dragon service, we will add direct calls in Malaga and Naples. This will facilitate access to the southern Spanish and southern Italian markets," MSC stated. "Transit times will be seven days faster from Shanghai to Genoa," it added. The operation will begin on 18 May.

MSC's decision to change its port calls to prioritise Malaga over other ports in the Strait area has been "the result of a shared effort by the entire port community to offer the best service", according to sources citing the Port Authority.

The Dragon route has been in operation for the past two and a half years, but it has been giving priority to calls at other European ports, especially Algeciras and Sines. Now, however, the service's top priority has shifted to Malaga, placing it at the epicentre of maritime logistics between China and the EU.