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CMA CGM deploys reefer ships to capture Ecuadorian-Med banana market

FRENCH shipping giant CMA CGM has launched new Mediterranean, Gulf of Mexico, Ecuadorian service with this week's sailing of the first of nine reefer ships from Guayaquil (pop 2.69 million), Ecuador's biggest city and main port.

The new CMA CGM service is designed for Ecuadorian banana exports and offers the only direct and weekly service between the Gulf of Mexico and Ecuador on the market, said the Marseilles-based company.

CMA CGM, the world's No 3 container shipping company, said the Med Gulf Ecuador service (MGE) offers a direct connection between the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador.

The service will have Ecuadorian cargo in Malta in 19 days with transshipment connections in Malta providing South American producers access to markets on Mediterranean Sea, North Africa and the Middle East.

Moreover, CMA CGM provides the only direct and weekly service between the Gulf of Mexico (Veracruz, Altamira, Houston and New Orleans) and Guayaquil said the company statement.

The new loop will also meet the export needs from the US and Mexico towards Latin America. "Thanks to transshipment connections in Guayaquil, transport services are offered to Peru, Chile and Colombia," said the statement.

The new rotation will be Malta, Livorno, Genoa, Barcelona, Valencia, Tangier, Caucedo, Kingston, Veracruz, Altamira, Houston, New Orleans, Kingston, Cartagena, Guayaquil, Kingston then back to Malta.

CMA CGM will operate all nine 2,100- to 2,500-TEU ships with large reefer capacities.

"By launching this new line, CMA CGM positions itself as a major player on the Ecuadorian reefer market and offers its clients the best service to the Mediterranean," said CMA CGM vice president Xavier Eiglier.

"The group also provides export opportunities to numerous markets for north and south American clients, thanks to calls at Kingston and Malta group's hubs," he said.