The CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, is pulling out all the stops to support its customers and meet their needs during these unprecedented times of exceptionally strong demand for shipping services between Asia and Europe. Over the past six months, demand for goods transportation has bounced back sharply from the contraction caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020.

Capacity boosted between Asia and Europe 
The CMA CGM Group has accelerated the redeployment of its capacity, demonstrating once again its agile approach and the commitment of its employees. CMA CGM has boosted the capacity assigned to lines between Asia and Europe by 6% for the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019. It will make further additions in the first quarter of 2021, when capacity will be 10% higher than in the current quarter. Practically speaking, this ramp-up will be provided by:

•    A new class of nine 9 23,000-TEU LNG-powered vessels assigned to Asia-Europe trade, three of which are already in service.
•    Two extra loaders operating on routes between Asia and Europe, providing over 9,000 TEU in total capacity, with special departures from China to France and the Netherlands in late December 2020.
•    No blank sailing departures on the FAL 1 and FAL 3 lines since the recovery began in Asia in mid-May.

Le Havre, an additional import call on the iconic FAL 1 line between Asia and Europe to provide greater capacity for the French market 

The CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupéry will call at Le Havre on Sunday, December 13, adding another weekly import call in France to CMA CGM’s illustrious French Asia Line (FAL 1), which connects Asia to Europe in an 84-day rotation. This direct connection can ship a container from Shanghai to France in barely 27 days. In parallel, the FAL 3 service will make a weekly export call in Le Havre bound for ports in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and Asia. Under these new arrangements, the CMA CGM Group’s vessels will make four weekly calls in France — two at Le Havre, one at Dunkirk and 1 at Marseille/Fos-sur-Mer.

The Group is implementing effective solutions to address the container shortage and port congestion

The CMA CGM Group has taken several measures to speed up the return of empty containers to Asia and to cut delays at the ports it serves in Asia and Europe. It has arranged special services for our customers to ports less affected by the congestion.
During the second half of 2020, CMA CGM has increased the size of its container fleet by 8.7%, services have been rerouted to clear the build-up of empty containers, and CMA CGM is offering its customers alternative solutions that use other types of containers to meet their needs.