“The upgrading of this service allows CMA CGM to strengthen its coverage of the US Gulf and the Caribbean, where its network is already significant, broadening the scope of the service for its customers,” said CMA CGM Vice President Antilles Guyane. “The direct call to New Orleans provides new opportunities for CMA CGM imports as well as exports, through our dedicated hub of Kingston, Jamaica.” The company, based in Marseilles, France is the third largest shipping company in the world.
The first Gulf Bridge Express vessel will call on the Port’s Napoleon Avenue Container Terminal Oct. 1.The service is jointly operated by CMA CGM and Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV), a Chilean shipping line with an extensive network of shipping services in Latin America and worldwide. CSAV has a vessel sharing agreement with CMA CGM to also provide ships that will be employed in the service. “This new service strengthens New Orleans’ connections to Central and South American markets,” said Port President and CEO Gary LaGrange. “It will also allow shippers access to CMA CGM and CSAV’s extensive worldwide services. We are excited to market new opportunities to our customers and are grateful to our valued partners with both shipping lines. This is truly an exciting time for the Port of New Orleans.”
In 2010, the Port set new records for container volumes at the Port – moving 427,000 TEUs, or twenty-foot-equivalent units. For the first six months of 2011, the terminal outpaced year-ago figures by 15 percent. The new weekly service includes New Orleans; Altamira, Mexico; Veracruz, Mexico; Kingston, Jamaica; Cartagena, Colombia; Puerto Cabello, Venezuela; and LaGuaira, Venezuela.