CMA CGM to Launch South Africa-Asia Loop

CMA CGM will start a new service linking Asia, Indian Ocean Islands and South Africa on Sunday May 8.

The new weekly Shaka Express service will deploy six vessels with capacities ranging between 4,500 and 6,500 20-foot equivalent units to meet what CMA CGM called “the growing market demand of South Africa, as over 30 percent of the country’s trade is with Asia.”

The Shaka Express will provide new reefer capacity for refrigerated exports from Durban and Port Elizabeth (Nqura) to Singapore and Hong Kong, which account for 20 percent of the containerized volumes on the trade, in particular transport of citrus and bananas.

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The Shaka Express will connect with CMA CGM’s network in Hong Kong for cargo from and to North China and will allow transshipment of cargo from northbound and southbound calls in Port Louis for cargo to and from all Indian Ocean Islands.

The service rotation of the Shaka Express will be: Fuzhou, Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Louis, Durban, Port Elizabeth (Ngqura), Port Louis, Singapore and back to Fuzhou.

The launch of the Shaka Express gives CMA CGM four weekly services calling South Africa.

-- Contact Peter T. Leach at pleach@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @petertleach.