COSCO Shipping Lines and Diamond Line announced the strengthening of their MWAX (West Africa Express) service with the addition of two ships. This will increase the capacity available and strengthen the regularity of weekly departures between West Africa, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

SLS Jade and Limarko Breeze vessels must join the fleet assigned to the MWAX service. According to COSCO Shipping Europe, this enhancement aims to improve the reliability of ports of call while increasing the capacity offered to shippers on this maritime link.

In particular, the service relies on the Spanish ports of Valencia and Algesiras, which are used as connecting platforms with the wider maritime network of the COSCO group.

The MWAX is currently serving a rotation between Valencia, Algésiras, Dakar, Tema and Abidjan, returning to Dakar before joining Valencia. Available programming data also show that the service is now organized on a weekly basis, when it was launched in November 2021 with an initial frequency of two weeks.

The strengthening of the fleet takes place in a context of gradual evolution of this line. In 2026, COSCO and OOCL had notably reviewed the rotation of the MWAX, with the removal of Conakry's direct port of call from the main loop, while maintaining the service to Guinea through feder connections.

The addition of two vessels could thus help stabilise the rotations on the main ports directly served and increase the possibilities of transhipment via the Mediterranean hubs.

For shippers and stakeholders in the West African supply chain, MWAX is a link between several major markets in the region and the Valencia and Algesiras platforms, from which goods can be connected to other destinations in the maritime network.

The integration of SLS Jade and Limarko Breeze is part of this logic of increasing supply and seeking greater regularity of services between the two shores.