CMA CGM expands 6,000-teu box fleet with new orders and charters
Containership newbuilding orders this week have been dominated by 6,000 teu-plus ships, but interest in ...
Photo: CMA CGM
CMA CGM kicked off its standalone weekly Japan-North Europe service today with the arrival of the 8,000 teu CMA CGM Tosca at the Japanese port of Kobe.
The launch of the French carrier’s Ocean Rise Service (OCR) coincides with the end of the Premier Alliance’s North Europe-Japan-North America west coast FP1 pendulum services, the last direct connection between Japan and North Europe.
“We are delighted to welcome the maiden call of Ocean Rise Express in Kobe today,” said Hideki Uchida, CMA CGM Japan’s representative director and president.
“This new service reaffirms Japan’s strategic importance within CMA CGM’s global network, strengthens Asia-Europe connectivity while delivering greater value and schedule reliability for our customers in Japan,” he added.
According to Xeneta’s eeSea liner database, the OCR service will eventually deploy 14 vessels, with an average capacity of 9,000 teu, although so far only seven have been assigned to the string, which has a port rotation of: Kobe-Nagoya-Yokohama-Xiamen-Yantian-Rotterdam-Hamburg-Southampton-Nansha-Kobe.
The lack of dedicated transhipment hubs on the proforma schedule – particularly in South-east Asia, such as Singapore or Port Klang – indicates the service is designed primarily for Japan’s exporters, and CMA CGM claimed the OCR transit times would be “best-in-market”.
The carrier added: “From Yokohama, cargo is expected to arrive in Rotterdam in 38 days, Hamburg in 41 days, and Southampton in 45 days.”
However, it also indicated a there may be a strategic desire within CMA CGM to evolve into a standalone carrier.
Container shipping analyst Lars Jensen had told delegates at this year’s S&P Global TPM event in Long Beach that the next big disruption to the carrier alliance landscape was likely to come from the French carrier as it sought greater independence.
“We already have a standalone MSC that can act more agilely than others, and the only question when we come to the next reshuffling is ‘who else might go it alone?’.
“CMA will join them as a standalone carrier as well, because CMA is on a growth path in the coming years and that’s what they’re aiming for.
“Then you’re going to get a reshuffling of the other alliance partners, which is all about positioning into the 2030s,” he said.
Meanwhile, the line also announced today that, from next month it would include new calls at Kobe, Nagoya, and Yokohama on its transpacific US-flagged Eagle Express 1 (EX1) service.
“Enhancements to Eagle Express 1 further reinforce Asia-US connectivity, reflecting our priority to provide timely shipping solutions and our continued commitment to reliability and service excellence,” Mr Uchida said.
The first EX1 call at a Japanese port will be at Kobe on 5 May, and the upgraded port rotation will be: Qingdao-Busan-Kobe-Nagoya-Yokohama-Los Angeles-Oakland-Yokohama-Naha-Busan-Qingdao.
Comment on this article