The Japanese ocean carrier, MOL, has announced that it will withdraw from the Europe-West Africa trade but will continue to serve the ports in Lagos, Cotonou, Lome and Tema from Asia.

This is despite the fact that this trade is also facing great challenges and suffered a 12 per cent year-on-year volume decline in April.

Its last southbound vessel, the 2,600 Twenty Equivalent Units (TEU),Atlantic Voyager, is scheduled to depart Antwerp on August 3, with its final northbound sailing departing Tema on August 29.