COSCO, CMA CGM partner for new Asia/West Med service

COSCO, CMA CGM partner for new Asia/West Med service COSCO Container Lines and CMA CGM will in March start a joint weekly service connecting China and South East Asia with ports in the West Mediterranean region.
   The MEX II service will use seven ships of 3,500 to 4,000 TEUs, with COSCO contributing five vessels and CMA CGM two ships. The port rotation will be Qingdao, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shekou, Singapore, Port Kelang, Naples, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Port Kelang, Singapore, Hong Kong and back to Qingdao. The transit time between Hong Kong and Naples will be 17 days.
   The 'Empress Phoenix' will start the MEX II when it leaves Qingdao March 9.
   French carrier CMA CGM has historically partnered with another Chinese-state controlled carrier, China Shipping Container Lines.
   'This new service not only enlarges the service coverage and service quality for COSCON and CMA CGM, but also enhances the cooperation between two companies,' CMA CGM said in a statement.