YANG MING's China Gulf Express service (CGX) is to add a port call at Umm Qasr call in Iraq to offer a direct connection to the Far East. The existing call to Bandar Abbas call in Iran will be dropped.
The Taiwanese shipping line currently serves Umm Qasr through its weekly Dubai Iraq CG2 feeder service that is operated by one 1,800-TEUer. This service is be scrapped in early May at the same time as the first Umm Qasr direct call on CGX, according to Alphaliner's records.
Yang Ming has not disclosed whether Bandar Abbas will continue to be served with an alternative solution. The revised rotation will take effect April 28 from Shanghai with the 5,551-TEU YM Wealth.
The revised CGX will be the second service to connect directly Far East with Iraq, adding to the MSC Falcon service that started covering Iraq in January 2017.
Currently, Umm Qasr is served mostly by feeder services hubbing at Jebel Ali, apart from the GIS service operated by UASC that also connects Umm Qasr with Pakistan and India.
The port rotation of the revised CGX is Shanghai, Ningbo, Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Shenzhen-Shekou, Port Kelang, Jebel Ali, Umm Qasr, Jebel Ali, Port Kelang, Kaohsiung and back to Shanghai.
The service will continue to turn in six weeks and will be run using the current six ships of 4,200-5,500 TEU.
Cosco and Hapag-Lloyd, two of the slot operators on the current CGX will continue to take slots on the revised CGX, while PIL will leave but continue to provide direct connections between Central China, South China, South East Asia and the Middle East through slots on the Ocean Alliance Far East-Middle East service MEA5 loop.
