Evergreen and RCL join four-carrier service to Mombasa

Evergreen and Regional Container Lines (RCL) have joined a new four-carrier consortium to launch a direct container service linking China’s major export hubs with Mombasa, Kenya. The arrangement pools tonnage from Emirates Shipping Line and Interasia Lines to establish a 49-day rotation using mid-sized vessels.

According to shipping intelligence provider Linerlytica, the service will operate under four separate brands: AEF6 for Evergreen, REA3 for RCL, FAX2 for Emirates Shipping Line, and EA3 for Interasia Lines. The route connects Qingdao, Ningbo, and Nansha to Mombasa via Malaysia’s Port Klang. Seven vessels ranging from 2,700 to 4,200 TEU will maintain the loop. The 2,824 TEU HIRANYA BHUM is scheduled to make the first departure from Qingdao on 5 December 2026.

Why it matters

This joint venture consolidates regional capacity into a single, predictable string, reducing the individual risk for each carrier while maintaining a presence in the East Africa trade. By deploying ships in the 2,700 to 4,200 TEU range, the carriers are matching vessel size to the infrastructure constraints of Mombasa, ensuring high utilization on a long 49-day rotation.

For cargo owners in Qingdao, Ningbo, and Nansha, the new service provides a direct alternative to transshipment, which can lower handling costs and transit times. The inclusion of Port Klang as a waypoint allows the carriers to feed Southeast Asian volumes into the East African corridor, maximizing the revenue potential of the seven-ship fleet. This commercial arrangement suggests a preference for shared risk over independent expansion in the Mombasa market.

What to watch

The 5 December 2026 departure of the HIRANYA BHUM from Qingdao will confirm the operational start of this wider commercial arrangement and the deployment of the seven-vessel fleet.

Source: Container News