Another string of panamax boxships are poised to be displaced with Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) joining the growing number of lines set to upsize on services through the Panama Canal.

Up to 17 conventional panamax containerships of between 4,000 teu and 5,300 teu face an uncertain future, with MSC unveiling plans to replace them with 10 neo-panamax containerships of between 8,000 teu and 9,000 teu.

The Swiss-Italian line will deploy the larger ships on a new service to be inaugurated on 14 June with the sailing of the 8,819-teu MSC Brunella (built 2015) from Rotterdam.

MSC will launch a single combined service using larger neo-panamaxes in place of two existing services that currently use the smaller panamax boxships between Europe and the US East Coast to the West Coast of South America.

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