News / CMA CGM to go solo on transatlantic as alliance trims calls

CMA CGM has taken it on itself to operate a transatlantic service calling into Savannah, with the news coming just days after speculation that the route was to be axed from the Ocean Alliance network’s rotation.

The carrier announced that its confusingly named Panama Direct service would cater for the US gateway on a Zeebrugge-Rotterdam-Dunkerque-Le Havre-New York-Savannah eastbound rotation and Savannah-Philadelphia-Zeebrugge-Rotterdam-Dunkerque-Le Havre when going west.

But this new offering was unable to include Southampton, Norfolk, Charleston, Bremerhaven and Antwerp – all five ports had featured on the Ocean Alliance’s jointly operated South Atlantic service, marketed by CMA CGM as Liberty Bridge and the AT2 by ONE.

That service’s last departure from Southampton is on 27 March on the Evergreen’s Ever Faith, being replaced by CMA CGM’s four standalone offerings, including Panama Direct, which it claims will offer “stronger coverage with a reinforced frequency”.

The other services are the Mexico and US Gulf service, Victory Bridge, running on a Southampton-Rotterdam-Antwerp-Bremerhaven-Veracruz-Altamira-Houston-New Orleans-Southampton rotation; the US west coast serving California Bridge, which does transit the Panama Canal, calling Southampton-Le Havre-Hamburg-Antwerp-Miami-Cartagena-Rodman-Los Angeles-Oakland-Rodman-Caucedo-Southampton; and the more northern Saint Laurent, on an Antwerp-Bremerhaven-Rotterdam-Montreal-Halifax-Antwerp rotation.