US Gulf Coast resin exporters will have more vessel capacity at their disposal beginning next month when cma CGM launches a new service to South America and intermediate ports.
The additional capacity arrives as Port Houston, the main US gateway for resins, is reducing ship delays with a new berth assignment system, reports IHS Media.
The ocean carrier said it will introduce the 'New Brazex' - or Brazil express - service starting November 11 with the first sailing of the CMA CGM San Francisco from New Orleans.
The weekly service, which uses 6,500 TEU ships, calls New Orleans and Houston, along with stops at Veracruz, Kingston, Cartagena, and five Brazilian ports.
CMA CGM already offered a Brazil express service using 3,500 TEU ships between the US Gulf and South America, but the original Brazex was made into a fortnightly service over the last year. CMA CGM said the original Brazex will return to a weekly service.
Brazil and Colombia have been the second- and fourth-busiest destinations for US resins this year through September, according to PIERS.
Brazil has taken in 34,723 TEU of resins in that time, up 4.7 per cent from the comparable 2021 period. Colombia's US resin imports have risen 19.6 per cent to 25,194 TEU over the same period. Europe and China are the top and third-largest destinations for US resins, according to PIERS.
Alex Barrett, ocean logistics manager for chemical distributor Ravago Americas, said the new CMA CGM service was a welcome relief for US Gulf resin exporters who had been facing skipped port calls and longer delays on north-south trade lanes out of the US Gulf over most of 2022.
In addition to the New Brazex, CMA CGM will also introduce a feeder container service between Kingston and Brazil's interior city of Manaus, which Mr Barret said is a major manufacturing site for plastics.
'We've been having to make bookings six weeks out,' MJr Barrett said. 'Hopefully, we can start getting back to bookings two weeks out.'
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The additional capacity arrives as Port Houston, the main US gateway for resins, is reducing ship delays with a new berth assignment system, reports IHS Media.
The ocean carrier said it will introduce the 'New Brazex' - or Brazil express - service starting November 11 with the first sailing of the CMA CGM San Francisco from New Orleans.
The weekly service, which uses 6,500 TEU ships, calls New Orleans and Houston, along with stops at Veracruz, Kingston, Cartagena, and five Brazilian ports.
CMA CGM already offered a Brazil express service using 3,500 TEU ships between the US Gulf and South America, but the original Brazex was made into a fortnightly service over the last year. CMA CGM said the original Brazex will return to a weekly service.
Brazil and Colombia have been the second- and fourth-busiest destinations for US resins this year through September, according to PIERS.
Brazil has taken in 34,723 TEU of resins in that time, up 4.7 per cent from the comparable 2021 period. Colombia's US resin imports have risen 19.6 per cent to 25,194 TEU over the same period. Europe and China are the top and third-largest destinations for US resins, according to PIERS.
Alex Barrett, ocean logistics manager for chemical distributor Ravago Americas, said the new CMA CGM service was a welcome relief for US Gulf resin exporters who had been facing skipped port calls and longer delays on north-south trade lanes out of the US Gulf over most of 2022.
In addition to the New Brazex, CMA CGM will also introduce a feeder container service between Kingston and Brazil's interior city of Manaus, which Mr Barret said is a major manufacturing site for plastics.
'We've been having to make bookings six weeks out,' MJr Barrett said. 'Hopefully, we can start getting back to bookings two weeks out.'
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