MSC is reinstating its China-India Osprey extra-loader service. According to Linerlytica, the loop reopens with the 5,041-TEU MSC Tampa V sailing from Qingdao on April 28.
Follow-on sailings are already fixed. The 9,200-TEU MSC Madeleine departs Ningbo on May 7, while the 6,492-TEU MSC Aquarius VII is scheduled from Qingdao on May 15 — signalling a stepped-up deployment on the corridor.
The reinstated loop restores direct calls into Mundra as carriers move to capture tightening demand between China and India, a trade lane increasingly shaped by dislocation tied to the Middle East war and ongoing Red Sea disruption.
MSC originally rolled out the Osprey service in 2024 as a standalone Asia-Southeast India connection aimed at cutting transit times and sharpening links between Asian load ports and India's west coast. No official MSC confirmation of the 2026 relaunch has been identified.
Key Takeaways:
1. MSC is reinstating its China-India Osprey extra-loader service.
2. First sailing: 5,041-TEU MSC Tampa V from Qingdao on April 28.
3. MSC Madeleine (9,200 TEU) follows on May 7 from Ningbo; MSC Aquarius VII (6,492 TEU) on May 15 from Qingdao.
4. The loop restores direct calls at Mundra.
5. Demand surge is tied to Middle East war and ongoing Red Sea disruption.
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