CMA CGM, Maersk commence Far East-subcontinent service

MARSEILLES-based French shipping giant CMA CGM and Danish shipping giant Maersk have announced the start of a New CIMEX 2 service linking the Far East to India and Pakistan.

The service aims to provide fastest transit times on the market at 15 days between Shanghai and Pipavav on the north west coast of India, using six ships averaging 5,500 TEU a piece.
The rotation will be Kwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Da Chan Bay, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Pipavav, Nhava Sheva, Port Qasim, Port Klang, Tanjung Pelepas, Singapore, Hong Kong and back to Kwangyang. The first ship reaches Shanghai on July 8.
"The Asia to India/Pakistan trade, linking the two economies with the highest populations in the world, is expanding. This is likely to continue and we decided to develop the New CIMEX 2 to keep pace with support of these markets," said CMA CGM Asia vice president Ludovic Rozan.
At the same time, Maersk and CMA CGM have de-coupled on the Asia/northern Europe trade lane in ahead of the launch of a mega-vessel loop the two plan to launch in July, according to ComPair Data.
CMA CGM has also left Maersk Line's 10-ship AE7 loop, which connects China's major ports with the Med and north Europe hubs, reported American Shipper. It also quit Maersk's nine-ship AE9 loop, connecting southeast Asia with the Mideast, Med and north Europe.
Maersk, in turn, has left CMA CGM's 10-ship FAL 1 service, which connected major China ports to the Middle East and Med and northern European ports, also quitting CMA CGM's eight-ship FAL 3 service, linking China and south east Asia to north Europe and the eastern Med and Mideast.
Said CMA CGM Executive Officer Rodolphe Saade: "We find that Maersk shares the same ideas on operational strategy. We are very pragmatic with these agreements. If we feel it is better to not do business together, we can split. We feel it is a good partnership. We share pretty much the same views."