CMA CGM will not add own ships in Atlantic

CMA CGM will not add own ships in Atlantic    CMA CGM has extended its slot charter agreement on the North Atlantic trade with Mediterranean Shipping Co., instead of launching its own service as it had originally planned.
   The extended new slot charter agreement will give CMA CGM an unchanged capacity allocation of 325 TEUs a week on MSC’s transatlantic ships, which provide two weekly services connecting the U.S. East and Gulf coasts to northern Europe.
   The previous agreement expired this month. A spokesman for CMA CGM said the new agreement is for a period of one year until November 2005.
   CMA CGM's decision not to use its own tonnage within an additional Atlantic service is understood to be due to the lack of chartered containerships in the market. It also comes as forwarders report occasional difficulties finding space on vessels that ply the transatlantic trade, with several carriers booked two weeks ahead.