CMA CGM, Seatrade team up on new reefer service

The French shipping conglomerate and Antwerp, Belgium-based refrigerated container transport specialist Seatrade Group have agreed to offer a combined weekly reefer service between Europe and Oceania starting in October.    French ocean liner CMA CGM has announced a vessel sharing agreement with Antwerp, Belgium-based refrigerated container transport (reefer) specialist Seatrade to offer a weekly reefer service beginning in October, CMA CGM said in a statement Monday.
   The two carriers have agreed to combine their current services – CMA CGM’s PAD loop and Seatrade’s MERIDAN string – which connect Europe and Oceania, stopping along the east coast of North America the Caribbean and South America.
   The new service utilize the following port rotation: Zeebrugge, London, Rotterdam, Dunkirk, Le Havre, New York, Savannah, Kingston, Cartagena, Papeete, Noumea, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Nelson, Napier, Tauranga, Pisco, Paita, Kingston, Philadelphia and back to Zeebrugge.
   According to CMA CGM, this service will be the only dedicated reefer service from New Zealand to the United States and Europe and will offer short transit times between Peru and the U.S. for the transportation for fruit.
   The service will operate with 13 vessels – six from CMA CGM, six from Seatrade, and one from fellow French carrier Marfret – with capacity for around 2,200 TEUs to 2,500 TEUs and a minimum 600 reefers on board for refrigerated goods, CMA CGM said.