CMA CGM latest to connect with Alibaba

The French ocean carrier signed an agreement to develop digital booking for Alibaba sellers on services from China to the Mediterranean.    The liner carrier CMA CGM said Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the e-commerce marketplace Alibaba to build digital connections between the companies.
   The agreement follows an arrangement announced last month between Alibaba and CMA CGM competitor Maersk Line to integrate ocean freight booking services into the Alibaba platform for China-based sellers.
   CMA CGM said the goal of the MOU is to develop a digital “alternative for direct booking” for customers booking capacity for shipments from China to the Mediterranean and Adriatic regions.
   The service will be targeted at two CMA CGM loops, the MEX1 and BEX rotations, the carrier said.
   The MEX1 is an Ocean 3 Alliance service deploying 11 vessels with an average capacity of 10,760 TEUs and a rotation of Qingdao, Ningbo, Shanghai, Xiamen, Nansha, Yantian, Port Kelang, Beirut, Malta, Barcelona, Valencia, Malta, Beirut, Mersin, Damietta, Jeddah, Dubai, Singapore, Xiamen and Qingdao, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting. COSCO purchases slots on the loop.
   The BEX is jointly operated by the Ocean 3 Alliance, COSCO and Evergreen Line, deploying 10 vessels with an average capacity of 9,126 TEUs and a rotation of Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Port Kelang, Koper, Trieste, Izmit, Ambarli, Constanza, Odessa, Ambarli, Piraeus, Port Kelang and Busan, according to BlueWater Reporting. Yang Ming, MOL, OOCL and APL purchase slots on the loop.
   Carriers are increasingly looking at ways to provide digital access to critical services like booking and freight tracking, areas that have traditionally been handled by, non-vessel-operating common carriers, freight forwarders or other logistics providers. Partnering with e-commerce marketplaces allows carriers to get access to smaller shippers that would be beyond their typical sales reach.
   Alibaba was intent on developing connections with carriers as far back as 2014, when it was working with China Shipping (which last year merged with compatriot carrier COSCO Container Lines) on an integrated logistics platform.
   Meanwhile, Alibaba has also tied up with forwarders to allow its sellers to leverage the services they provide.