CMA CGM strengthens services from Asia to US West Coast

CMA CGM Group has announced the upgrading of its services between Asia and California, to meet the growing demand on the transpacific trade expected in 2011 and in the years to come.

As of May 2011, the consolidation of its partnerships will enable CMA CGM to reinforce its coverage of the transpacific trade and to provide its customers with the following services:

•the HANGZHOU SHUTTLE in partnership with Maersk and MSC  direct service between Ningbo, Shanghai and Los Angeles.

This new service will complete existing CMA CGM services on this trade (the BOHAI RIM, serving Central and North China, and the YANG TSE, covering Taiwan, Hong Kong, Central and South China) and will double the frequency of calls to five major Chinese ports (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ningbo, Xiamen and Yantian). In total, these three weekly services will be operated by 12 vessels of 8,100 TEU and five 6,000 TEU containerships.

•the SUNRISE service in partnership with Maersk, a combined service between South Korea, Japan and the US West Coast. This service is operated by five 4,400 TEU vessels.

CMA CGM’s weekly coverage of this area will be as follows:

•YANG TSE – Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian, Xiamen, Ningbo, Long Beach, Oakland

•BOHAI RIM – Dalian, Tianjin Xinqang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Long Beach, Oakland

•HANGZHOU SHUTTLE – Ningbo, Shanghai, Los Angeles

•SUNRISE – Kwangyang, Pusan, Hakata, Nagoya, Yokohama, Los Angeles, Oakland, Yokohama, Kobe, Kwangyang

 “This upgrade of our existing services on the transpacific trade is a very significant improvement in the quality of the transport offer we provide our customers, and enables us to meet the considerable growth in import / export flows between Asia and North America. With these latest initiatives, CMA CGM offers an exceptional frequency of calls to major Chinese ports, ultra-competitive transit times, and good coverage of Korean and Japanese trades heading for California,” explains Jean-Philippe Thenoz, CMA CGM Senior Vice-President North America Lines.

NYK in new direct service between Europe and Northwest India, Pakistan, and the Middle East

NYK has announced the commencement of a direct service beginning in April between Europe and northwest India, Pakistan, and the Middle East.

This new service will be part of a joint-service agreement for the existing CMA-CGM Europe Pakistan India Consortium (EPIC) service.

This service will commence with the westbound voyage of OOCL San Francisco, which is expected to arrive at Jebel Ali on April 3. The first eastbound sailing will be OOCL San Francisco’s departure from Southampton on May 1, 2011.

The 56-day round voyage port rotation of EPIC is as follows: Jebel Ali (UAE) – Port Qasim (Pakistan) -Nhava Sheva (India) – Mundra (India) – Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) – Port Said (Egypt) – Malta (Republic of Malta) – Tangier (Morocco) – Southampton (U.K.) – Rotterdam (the Netherland) – Hamburg (Germany) – Antwerp (Belgium) – Le Harvre (France) – Khor Fakkan (UAE) – Jebel Ali.   

NYK currently offers a weekly service from Europe to the Middle East. The participation of NYK in the EPIC service will now mean that NYK can offer a second weekly service from Europe to the Middle East as well as a comprehensive fixed-day weekly westbound service from Pakistan (Port Qasim) and India (Nhava Sheva, Mundra) to Northern Europe (Southampton, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp, Le Havre).

NYK starts regular calls at Cotonou, Benin, with SWAX Service

NYK will start regular calls at Cotonou, Benin, with the South Africa and West Africa Express (SWAX).

This call will enhance its current service to the growing West African market with more direct coverage to meet increasing demand. The new SWAX rotation is as follows:

Shanghai (China) - Ningbo (China) - Shekou (China) - Singapore (Singapore) - Durban (South Africa) - Lome (Togo) - Tema (Ghana) - Lagos Apapa (Nigeria) - Cotonou (Benin) - Durban (South Africa) - Singapore (Singapore) - Shanghai (China)

*non fixed date service

 The first sailing with a Cotonou call will depart from Shanghai on 9 March 2011. SWAX is operated jointly with Nile Dutch Africa Line.

 NYK said it will continue to make every effort to further strengthen service network to best meet customers’ needs.