SeaLead braves the Red Sea with new Jebel Ali – Med service

SeaLead’s new Mediterranean Gulf Express (MGX) will provide a weekly connection Dubai and Turkey via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

The service will call the ports of Jebel Ali, Djibouti, Aliaga, and Damietta with inaugural voyage departing on 24 October.

Suleyman Avci, Global Chief Executive Officer at SeaLead, said, “Our new MGX service represents a critical enhancement of our capabilities in connecting Middle East, Red Sea and Mediterranean region, providing our customers with faster transit times and expanded market access.

“This service further strengthens our presence across key trade lanes while offering improved connections through the Red Sea. We remain committed to delivering innovative solutions that support the growing demands of global trade.”

The service will offer a transit of six days to Djibouti and 14 days to Türkiye. From Türkiye shipment can connect with a feeder network to Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Lebanon, and Romania.

Chandra Chigulury, SeaLead’s General Manager for Middle East and Africa, added, “By introducing the MGX service, we are directly addressing our customers’ need for seamless and reliable access to both Mediterranean and North African markets.”

A fast growing, but relative newcomer to container shipping, Singapore-headquartered SeaLead has continued to transit the Red Sea despite the threat of Houthi attack unlike most of the top tier lines which have opted to transit via the Cape of Good Hope.

Last month it launched the Far East India Djibouti (FID) calling Djibouti which sits on the African shore of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

According to company’s website it also operates an India – Turkiye service, Turkiye – Red Sea that connects to the Port of Jeddah, and a China – East Asia – Turkiye route, all of which transit the Red Sea.

On 20 July the SeaLead chartered vessel Pumba, registered in Liberia, came under attack from the Houthi while transiting the Red Sea  Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Port Klang, Malaysia. The vessel and its crew escaped unscathed from the incident.

The Houthi said the attacked the Pumba as it was a US vessel. SeaLead stated that none of its vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal were owned by US or UK linked companies.