Operated by APM Terminals (51% stake), Vado Gateway will, from mid-October host calls by Diamond Line, the line set up by Cosco last year to operate intra-European feeder services from its hub in Piraeus, which is now catering for calls from China, the sub-Continent, the Middle East, Oceania, North Africa, northern Europe and the Black Sea.

The new Diamond service, called VAX (Vado Express), will call weekly and link with other weekly calls by Maersk’s ME2 vessels and, shortly, the L75 feeder service, which ties the Ligurian ports (Genoa and La Spezia) into Far East traffic.

From week 43 the rotation of the “butterfly” L75 service will be Bareclona-Vado Ligure, La Spezia, Fos-sur-Mer, Barcelona, Algeciras, TangerMed, Barcelona.

This is because Maersk is switching the AE20 service from Genoa to Vado Ligure. The last call of the L75 service in Genoa will be made by NYSTED MAERSK on 10th October.