MSC will expand its China-Australia Koala service by adding weekly Melbourne calls from the end of September.
Koala was launched in late October last year, initially calling Shanghai, Shekou, Jakarta, Fremantle and return. Hong Kong later replaced Shekou and in January this year Port Adelaide was added, along with northbound Jakarta calls.
The new rotation will be Shanghai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Melbourne, Jakarta, Shanghai, with an extra ship to be added to the service.
MSC says the extension is part of its Oceania network optimisation and will provide reefer and dry cargo exporters in Melbourne with competitive transit times and a direct connection to Jakarta, while customers in Brisbane, Sydney, and New Zealand will benefit from improved links via Melbourne.
Through the combined Koala, Wallaby, and Panda services, customers will have three weekly sailings from Melbourne to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Customers shipping from Fremantle and Adelaide will have additional access to the trans-Tasman market and a direct connection to the new Eagle service from February 2026, offering both direct and transshipment routes to the USA via Melbourne, the carrier says.
The first Koala voyage to make an official Melbourne call will be FP539R of the 2,826 TEU MSC Capetown III 26-27 September, although the 3,546 TEU A-Rex Dexterity is scheduled to make a reverse rotation call, from Yantian via Brisbane next week and the 2,702 TEU MSC Chulai III is listed to make a reverse rotation call 16-17 September, ex Ningbo and Yantian.
Other Koala-allocated ships are the 2,742 TEU MSC Cape III, the 2,824 TEU MSC Nimisha III and the 2,556 TEU MSC Lucia III (to be replaced by the 2,546 TEU MSC Lidia next month).