CMA CGM halts its Columbus pendulum service while introducing new capacity on two routes, enhancing its network amid evolving market demands.
French shipping giant CMA CGM has suspended its Columbus pendulum service, which was heavily focused on East Coast US calls, while offering shippers new capacity on two separate strings, reported London's S&P Global.
The carrier stated that the suspension was made collectively within the Ocean Alliance framework and would be offset with additional capacity. The Columbus service, which could take nearly half a year for a round trip, was described as highly complex.
Data from eeSea showed that the final sailing was the 13,892 TEU APL Esplanade, which departed Vung Tau on May 19 and was due at Halifax on June 29. The service had grown from 17 ships averaging 8,000 TEU in 2017 to 23 ships averaging 14,000 TEU.
CMA CGM has introduced the Mekong Transpacific Express service to replace the Columbus' West Coast leg. The new string, launched in May, will turn in 63 days using nine ships of 9,000 to 13,000 TEU, calling at Haiphong, Cai Mep, Shanghai, Los Angeles, and Oakland, with westbound stops at Kaohsiung and Shekou.
In place of the East Coast leg, CMA CGM upgraded its Chesapeake Bay Express service to deploy larger vessels. The CBX now uses 14 ships of 14,000 TEU capacity on a 98-day round trip via the Cape of Good Hope, adding Port Klang and New York while dropping Kobe and Jacksonville.
The suspension comes amid wider network optimization by carriers following the Gemini Alliance's hub-and-spoke model. CMA CGM has also expanded port calls along the Indian subcontinent and reworked trans-Atlantic arrangements with Ocean Network Express.
East Coast ports have avoided major congestion, but schedule reliability remains below pre-2024 levels. eeSea data showed vessels hit their berth window 35 percent of the time in May, compared with 60 percent in 2023.
CMA CGM has sought greater control of its network by acquiring marine terminals. In 2023, it purchased Global Container Terminals' US assets in Bayonne and Staten Island, pledging US$600 million in upgrades. The Columbus service later shifted to Bayonne, where vessel traffic remains heavy.
