CMA CGM, China Shipping to add 3rd Asia/U.S. all-water Panama service

CMA CGM, China Shipping to add 3rd Asia/U.S. all-water Panama service    Riding the trend towards all-water transpacific services, CMA CGM, China Shipping Container Lines and P&O Nedlloyd are planning to add a third Asia/U.S. all-water service via the Panama canal in April or May, CMA CGM
said.
   A spokesman for CMA CGM told American Shipper that the three carriers will launch a China/Caribbean/U.S. East Coast “PEX 3” service, to complement their existing Asia/Caribbean/U.S. East Coast “PEX 1/AAE” loop and
Asia/Caribbean/U.S. Gulf “PEX 2/PGX” service.
   The addition of the all-water transpacific service will be subject to approval by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission and China’s Ministry of Communications.
   CMA CGM also confirmed that it and Mediterranean Shipping Co. would launch a joint Central China/U.S. West Coast service in 2004, probably at the time of the peak season. The service will employ new ships of 8,100-TEU capacity, and is expected to be called “TPX 3.” The new operation using 8,100-TEU ships will replace CMA CGM’s “TPX 1” service, which uses vessels of about 4,100 TEUs, thereby adding about 200,000 TEUs in annual one-way capacity to the transpacific trade.
   Norasia, China Shipping, Lloyd Triestino, ANL and Far Eastern Shipping Co. (FESCO) currently take space on the TPX 1 vessels.
   In a separate development, CMA CGM said that it will withdraw from a U.S./north Europe slot-charter agreement with Mediterranean Shipping in November of 2004 to introduce a transatlantic service using its own ships.