As peak season approaches shipping lines, including CMA CGM, MOL and "K" Line, have announced a number of upgrades and changes to transatlantic loops linking Asia to Mexico as well as other routes.

CMA CGM has announced upgrades to its Victory Bridge service linking North Europe to US South Atlantic, Mexico and the US Gulf.

Operated in partnership with CSAV, this new service will replace the one previously operated in cooperation with MSC and will deploy five vessels of 3,000 TEUs.

This new joint service will strengthen CMA CGM's presence on both trades between North Europe to the US and North Europe to Mexico, providing customers with the most direct route from South Florida to North Europe as well as two weekly sailings between Mexico and North Europe and an extra call in Rotterdam to meet North European exporters as well as reefer importers needs.

The rotation will be: Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Charleston, Miami, Vera Cruz, Altamira, Houston, Miami, Le Havre

The ports of Savannah, and Felixstowe called in the previous rotation, will continue to be served through CMA CGM's Round The World and Liberty Bridge services.

MOL, "K" Line and NYK have also announced the creation of a new consortium to upgrade Asia-Mexico and West Coast South America (WCSA) container service.

MOL has been offering Asia-Mexico and WCSA service (CWL) jointly with "K" Line and will launch the upgraded Asia-Mexico and WCSA service along with a new partner, NYK.

The new service will offer two loops covering Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico, Peru, Chile, respectively. The companies will also deploy larger vessels to the service to meet growing demand in Asia-Mexico and WCSA trade.

Loop 1 will have a 70-day turnaround weekly service with mostly 3,200 TEU vessels. The port rotation is: Yokohama, Keelung, Hong Kong, Da Chan Bay, Xiamen, Shanghai, Busan, Manzanillo, Callao, Iquique, Valparaiso, Lirquen, Callao, Manzanillo, Yokohama

Loop 2 will have a 63-day turnaround weekly service with 2,000/2,100 TEU vessels. Port rotation is: Tokyo, Busan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nagoya, Yokohama, Manzanillo, Buenaventura, Guayaquil, Manzanillo, Tokyo.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)