CMA CGM has increased capacity between Asia and Europe to meet what it has described as “unprecedented demand” for cargo and shipping services.
The carrier said it is making every effort to support its customers and that demand for goods transportation has recovered sharply from the contraction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020.
To meet the demand, it has accelerated the redeployment of its capacity and boosted capacity assigned to lines between Asia and Europe by 6% for the fourth quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
It will make further additions in the first quarter of 2021, when capacity will be 10% higher than in the current quarter.
It said the increase in capacity will be provided by a new class of nin3 23,000 TEU LNG-powered vessels assigned to Asia-Europe trade, three of which are already in service.
It will also utilise two extra loaders operating on these routes and in doing so provide 9,000 TEU in total capacity with special departures from China to France and the Netherlands in late December 2020.
Additionally, the carrier said it is implementing several measures to speed up the return of empty containers to Asia and cut delays at the ports it serves in Asia and Europe. It has arranged special services for our customers to ports less affected by pandemic-induced congestion.
During the second half of 2020, CMA CGM has increased the size of its container fleet by 8.7%, rerouted services to clear the build-up of empty containers and offered customers alternative solutions that use other types of containers to meet their needs.
