CMA CGM, Emirates partner on Mideast-Africa service

   CMA CGM said Thursday it will partner with Emirates Shipping Line on the trade between India, the Middle East and east Africa from mid-May.
   The French container line will drop its existing SWAX service and form two new services with the same moniker, SWAX 2 and SWAX 3.
   The SWAX 2 service will have a rotation of Jebel Ali, Khor Fakkan, Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Jebel Ali. It will be operated with five 2,200-TEU vessels (four from CMA CGM and one from Emirates).
   The SWAX 3 loop will have a rotation of Jebel Ali, Khor Fakkan, Dar Es Salam, and Jebel Ali. It will be operated with three 1,700-TEU vessels (two from CMA CGM and one from Emirates).
   Both services, which launch May 11, will connect to Nhava Sheva in India through a dedicated feeder from Khor Fakkan.
   The existing rotation of the SWAX is Jebel Ali, Khor Fakkan, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Jebel Ali. It’s operated with five CMA CGM vessels, with an average capacity of 2,218 TEUs, according to American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data. — Eric Johnson