THE NEWBUILDING 1800 TEU MSC Sijing sailed out of Port Adelaide’s Outer Harbour this morning after making the first call on MSC’s extended Koala Service, thus restoring South Australia’s direct import-export links with East & South East Asia.
Flinders Ports says the weekly service, which links China and Indonesia with Fremantle and now Port Adelaide, will provide South Australian importers and exporters with significantly improved access to key North Asian markets.
The new service will mean exports including wine, grapes, citrus, almonds, hay and grain, will ship to some of the state’s largest trading partners more quickly and shipping arrivals will be more predictable, the company says.
Flinders Port Holdings’ chief executive Stewart Lammin said the first `Koala Service’ marked an important key milestone for South Australian exporters and importers: “Adelaide has not had direct access to Chinese markets since the Covid pandemic and our exporters and importers have been forced to rely on longer, non-direct services to access some of their most important markets.
“The commencement of the MSC Koala Service is a positive development for South Australia’s economy, which has the potential to enhance trade relations with North Asia and will boost the competitiveness of SA based importers and exporters.”
The Koala Service was launched in November 2024, with the inaugural voyage also undertaken by MSC Sijing. The full rotation is now Shanghai, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Jakarta, Shanghai and the next South Australian caller is scheduled to by the 2741 TEU MSC Cape III on 19 January, followed a week later by the 2824 TEU MSC Nimisha III.
