CMA CGM is set to launch a new Oceania-US east coast service in February, operating under a space charter agreement with Maersk, according to reports from New York's Journal of Commerce.

The KEA service will commence with the 3,752-TEU Spirit of Melbourne, departing from Sydney in early February. The South Pacific rotation will include stops in Melbourne, Port Chalmers, and Tauranga in New Zealand.

In the Americas, the service will call at Balboa and Manzanillo in Panama, Cartagena in Colombia, and US ports Philadelphia and Charleston. CMA CGM is promoting the KEA service as a fast option for transporting fresh fruits and frozen food from Oceania to the US east coast.

This month, CMA CGM and Maersk filed the charter agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission. CMA CGM will secure 350 TEU, equivalent to 4,900 tonnes of space, including 100 reefer plugs, on each roundtrip sailing of Maersk's OC-1 service.

The carrier stated that the KEA service will complement its Panama Direct Line, providing full coverage of the US east coast and transshipment options to northern Europe.

Since 2021, imports from Oceania to the US east coast have shown steady growth. PIERS data indicates that volumes reached 108,198 TEU in 2024, with year-to-date imports through November 2025 increasing by nine percent. Philadelphia has captured nearly two-thirds of this trade, highlighting its strength in refrigerated cargo.