Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has formally integrated Zarzis Port—located in southern Tunisia, approximately 50 kilometres from the Libyan border—into its Italy–North Africa (Libya) Service I (INA-L1), effective immediately. This marks the first inclusion of Zarzis in a scheduled, deep-sea container shipping rotation, underscoring MSC’s strategic expansion of gateway infrastructure across the Central Mediterranean.

The port’s geographic proximity to Libya positions it as a natural transshipment and logistics enabler for cross-border trade flows between North Africa and Southern Europe. Its integration supports enhanced cargo fluidity, reduced inland haulage distances for Tunisian and western Libyan shippers, and greater flexibility in routing amid evolving regional operational conditions.

Revised Service Rotation  

The updated INA-L1 port rotation is as follows:  

Gioia Tauro (Italy) → Misurata (Libya) → Tripoli (Libya) → Zarzis (Tunisia) → Gioia Tauro (Italy)  

Zarzis will be served on a selective basis—subject to commercial demand and vessel capacity—commencing with Voyage INA-L1-247A, scheduled to call on 18 June.

Strategic Rationale  

This enhancement reflects MSC’s continued commitment to strengthening end-to-end connectivity in the Mediterranean basin. By incorporating Zarzis—a modern, deep-water port with growing intermodal capabilities—MSC expands access to an emerging regional trade corridor while reinforcing service resilience, network redundancy, and customer choice across key North African markets.

Resource.: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/fH0rIXJeaTV3U3KxtIs8jQ