CMA CGM, CSAV, CSCL start Asia-Latin America service by March

FRENCH giant carrier CMA CGM, Chile`s CSAV and China Shipping (CSCL) will offer a combined Asia, Mexico, Central America and west coast South America by the end of April.

Intended initially to launch two loops with larger vessels, the Loop 1 services Mexico, Peru and Chile from Asia, and Loop 2 Mexico, Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica), Colombia and Ecuador.


This new service shortens the transit time between Asia, Mexico, and South America. Voyages between Chile and Hong Kong will be cut by seven days, and between Mexico and Shanghai, by nine days.


New westbound calls to Yokohama, Japan and Keelung, Taiwan, are added to meet the "growing demand for refrigerated goods from Mexico and South America to the Asian continent," said the CMA CGM statement.


Loop 1 will call at: Hong Kong, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Busan, Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas, Callao, Iquique, San Antonio, San Vicente, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Shanghai and Keelung.


Rotation of Loop 2 includes: Xingang, Qingdao, Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, Shenzhen-Chiwan, Hong Kong, Busan, Manzanillo, Lazaro Cardenas, Puerto Quetzal, Buenaventura, Guayaquil, Puerto Quetzal, Manzanillo, Yokohama and back to Busan.


Eleven 6,500-TEU containerships will be deployed on Loop 1 and ten 4,200-TEU vessels on Loop 2. CMA CGM will provide three vessels on each loop with the rest deployed by CSAV and CSCL.


CSAV`s current Andex 1 comprises 11 containerships with an average capacity of 4,223 TEU and its Andex 2 loop contains seven 3,010-TEU ships, according to the figures from www.cionline.co.uk`s liner information.


Overcapacity is a problem confronted by the carriers offering Asia-WCSA services, said London`s Containerisation International, because of new providers and services launched in the market. "Towards the end of last year the supply-demand balance was expected to fall down to below the 80/90 per cent level. This might explain the service rationalisation carried out by the carriers."