CMA CGM reshuffles its West Africa services

Mar 1, 2023 India Shipping News

MARSEILLE : CMA CGM revises West Africa network according to which EURAF 3 service will be discontinued, WAZZAN will deploy a full fleet of 1,700 TEU nominal capacity, and a dedicated Central Range Feeder will serve Monrovia (Liberia), San Pedro (Ivory Coast), and Takoradi (Ghana) through Abidjan (Ivory Coast) on a weekly basis.

Meanwhile, the new weekly North Range Feeder will offer Banjul (Gambia) via Dakar (Senegal), and upsized MEDWAX will include Freetown (Sierra Leone) in its rotation.

CMA CGM said these changes will include a higher frequency to/from Monrovia, San Pedro, Takoradi, and Banjul and additional links to the carrier’s major loops (EURAF 1, MEDWAX, WAX). Also, the French company noted that it will offer increased transfers from/to Monrovia, San Pedro, Takoradi, and Banjul and a direct link between Sierra Leone and the West Mediterranean.

The MEDWAX service will still be offered in 35 days with five vessels of 2,500 to 3,500 TEU with the following port rotation:

Barcelona (Spain) – Marseille (France) – Valencia (Spain) – Algeciras (Spain) – Tanger (Morocco) – Dakar (Senegal) – Conakry (Guinea) – Freetown (Sierra Leone) – Abidjan (Ivory Coast)– Barcelona

The vessel New Yorker will be the first to sail under the updated port rotation with an expected time of arrival (ETA) in Tanger on 1 April, Freetown on 15 April, and Abidjan on 18 April.

Transit times:

From / To	Dakar	Conakry	Freetown	Abidjan
Barcelona, Spain	15	18	20	23
Marseille, France	13	16	18	22
Valencia, Spain	11	14	16	19
Antwerp, Belgium	EURAF 1	21	23	EURAF 1
Jebel Ali, UAE	EURAF 1	35	37	EURAF 1
Shanghai, China	EURAF 1	47	49	EURAF 1

The Central Range Feeder will be operated in 14 days with two vessels of 1,300 TEU with the following port rotation:

Abidjan (Ivory Coast) – Monrovia (Liberia) – San Pedro (Ivory Coast) – Takoradi (Ghana) – Abidjan

CMA CGM Atlantic West will be the first boxship sailing under the new port rotation and is expected to arrive in Abidjan on 20 March.

Transit Times

From / To	Monrovia	San Pedro	Monrovia
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire	2	6	12
Barcelona, Spain	25	29	35
Marseille, France	24	28	34
Valencia, Spain	21	25	31

Additionally, the North Range Feeder will connect Banjul (Gambia) and Dakar (Senegal) on a weekly basis with one vessel and the updated port rotation will be as follows:

Transit Times

From / To	Banjul
Dakar, Senegal	2
Barcelona, Spain	12
Marseille, France	15
Valencia, Spain	13

Furthermore, the WAZZAN service will still be operated in 35 days with five vessels of 1,700 TEU as follows:

Tanger (Morocco) – Algeciras (Spain) – Nouakchott (Mauritania) – Dakar (Senegal) – Bissau 1/2 (West Africa) – Nouadhibou (Mauritania) – Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) – Tanger

Transit Times

From / To	Nouakchott	Bissau	Nouadhibou
Antwerp, Belgium	15	19	26
Le Havre, France	10	14	21
Valencia, Spain	9	13	20
Ambarli, Turkey	20	24	31
Casablanca, Morocco	10	14	21
Shanghai, China	41	45	52