CMA CGM will launch a new India Gulf Red Sea Express (BIGEX2) service connecting Jebel Ali, Djibouti, Aden, Colombo, Mangalore, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Jebel Ali from June 2024. The new service will turn in 28 days and deploys 4 ships of 1,700 to 3,000 teu starting with the 1,713 teu CMA CGM SAIGON at Jebel Ali on 8 June 2024, followed by the 3,013 teu WADI ALRAYAN, 2,078 teu LOBIVIA and 1,714 teu ST. JOHN. The BIGEX2 will replace the existing Mona Express 2 that will be discontinued from 8 June
CMA CGM has resumed full Suez Canal transits on the Asia-Med Phoenician Express (BEX2) service from the end of April 2024, becoming the first mainstream Asia-Europe service to return to the Suez since the Red Sea crisis escalated in December 2023. The service is one of 4 OCEAN Alliance services on the Asia-Med route and is marketed as the PHOEX/BEX2 by CMA CGM, AEM6 by COSCO, AAS by OOCL and BEX2 by Evergreen. The service was previously operated with a mixed fleet of ships from the 3 OCEAN Alli
Containerships are still making transits on the Suez/Bab-el-Mandeb despite heightened risks following the collapse of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas and the escalation of the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping on the Red Sea which has widened to the Indian Ocean. Over 90 transits on the Bab-el-Mandeb has been recorded since 1 April 2024, mainly by smaller carriers operating in the Asia-Med and Baltic Sea routes, compared to over 700 voyages diverted to the Cape route in the same per
MSC has started to redirect ships chartered from Israeli-linked owners from the Persian Gulf following the seizure of the 14,952 teu MSC ARIES by Iranian special forces on 13 April 2024. According to a statement from MSC on 17 April, the carrier is in discussions with Iranian authorities to secure the release of the 25 crew members on the MSC ARIES and for cargo on board the ship to be discharged. Several ships that were due to enter the Persian Gulf has already been redirected, with details a
The seizure of the 14,952 teu MSC ARIES by Iranian special forces on 13 April 2024 off Fujairah has placed heightened risks on Israeli-linked containerships trading in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the Israeli owned fleet accounts for less than 2% of all containerships in the Persian Gulf and their redeployment to other routes is not expected to cause significant disruptions to the trade, barring a full blockade of the Strait of Hormuz if the Israeli conflict escalates. Out of over 500 contain
Newly formed Saudi based Folk Maritime has launched the Port Sudan Service (PSS) connecting Jeddah, Port Sudan, Jeddah with the 698 teu SUNSET X from 5 April 2024. The service turns in 4-5 days with Maersk and CMA CGM taking slots to provide regular connections between Saudi Arabia and Sudan. The new PSS as well the North Red Sea (NRS) service operated in cooperation with CMA CGM are the first 2 services launched by Folk Maritime. Folk Maritime was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 26 Fe
Global port congestion worsened over the past week with a sharp increase in berthing delays at ports in North Asia and Southeast Asia. Waiting times have increased across all key main port in the Far East including Busan, Ningbo, Shanghai, Singapore and Port Klang where waiting times of up to 3 days have been recorded. There has been no increase in port congestion in the US, with East Coast ports largely unaffected by the shutdown at the port of Baltimore. Cargo has been diverted mostly to Norf
Folk Maritime will team up with CMA CGM to launch a new North Red Sea (NRS)/North Red Sea Express (NRX) service from 9 April 2024. The NRS/NRX will call at Jeddah, Neom, Sokhna, Aqaba, Yanbu, Jeddah using 2 ships of 1,600-2,000 teu, starting with the Folk Maritime chartered 2,045 teu JIN SHUN HE, followed a week later by the 1,641 teu APL SAIPAN from CMA CGM. Folk Maritime is a new carrier established on 26 February 2024 in Riyadh to operate feeder and short sea services connecting ports in S
Peak Shipping, the Xiamen based affiliate of Summit Shipping, has launched a new China-Yemen Express (CYE) service connecting Ningbo, Shekou, Port Klang, Aden, Djibouti with the 713 teu JI ZHE 2 from 28 January 2024. Summit Shipping Line was established in Singapore in October 2019 as a subsidiary of the Xiamen Port Group. It operated initially as a NVOCC (Non-Vessel Owning Common Carrier) using slots from common feeder and linehaul operators in the Intra-Asia and South Asia routes. It began it
Conflicting signals abound in a market looking for fresh directions, with freight rates continuing to slide as the SCFI dropped by 4.7% last week bringing the cumulative decline to 15.8% since its January peak. However, charter rates continue to firm while second hand vessel prices are still rising as demand for tonnage remains high. The recent freight rate correction has not deterred new entrants, with another Chinese carrier set to launch a transpacific service in March. Total containership