First cargo on AP Moller – Maersk's AE19 service left the Russian Far East in July 2019, a rare combination of a short-sea and intercontinental rail product that links many Asian ports with ports in Northern Europe.

The integrated ocean-rail product will become a permanent weekly service in September 2020, just over a year later and thanks to growing customer interest.

The AE19 service complements Maersk's daily product line Asia-Europe focused on traditional ocean services and provides highly efficient transit times from Asia to major European ports.

Another short-sea connection between St. Petersburg and ports in Finland (Helsinki and Rauma), continental Europe, such as Gdansk (Poland), Bremerhaven (Germany), or Scandinavia, run by Sealand Europe, is the final leg of the line.

“We are delighted that this unique product, designed for our customers in both Asia and Europe, formally becomes a weekly service and gets a permanent place in our product portfolio. This has been possible thanks to increased interest from our customers, who appreciate its attractive transit times and cost competitiveness," said Zsolt Katona, Managing Director, Eastern Europe at Maersk.

Maritime Business World