by Priya Radünzel, SeaNewsEditor

Container shipping companies adjust their services in response to market dynamics and operational hurdles. Stay informed of upcoming changes with Kuehne+Nagel's carrier service update, published bi-weekly on Sea News and seaexplorer.

CMA CGM and partners add vessels transatlantic services

To enhance service reliability and frequency, CMA CGM and COSCO, ONE and OOCL will add an additional vessel to their service between the Mediterranean and East Coast North America. This addition will increase the total number of vessels on the Amerigo service to seven. The 5446 TEU COSCO Shanghai is estimated to arrive in Salerno on 4 August 2025 to begin its transatlantic voyage 0MRJ3W1MA.

The rotation of the Amerigo service is: Salerno - La Spezia - Genoa - Vado Ligure - Valencia - Algeciras - New York - Norfolk - Savannah - Miami - Algeciras - Salerno.

Furthermore, the 5920 TEU OOCL Veracruz will be added to the Victory Bridge/ATG service operated by CMA CGM and OOCL, which covers North Europe, the US East Coast, the US Gulf, and Mexico. The vessel will phase in on voyages 0VBKFW1MA (westbound) and 0VBKGE1MA (eastbound). The first sailing will be from Southampton on 2 August 2025.

Before the vessel's phase-in, Zeebrugge will replace Antwerp on the current rotation, starting with the vessel MH Perseus / 0VBJWE1MA, expected to arrive in Southampton on 21 July 2025.

The revised rotation will be: Southampton - Rotterdam - Zeebrugge-Bremerhaven- Veracruz- Altamira- Houston- New Orleans- Southampton.

MSC removes capacity from transpacific route

Linerlytica reports that MSC has suspended its Pearl service. The last sailing will be the MSC Elodie from Xiamen on 13 July 2025. The Pearl service has been operated as part of the Pearl-Shikra service since May this year. Once the Pearl service is suspended, the Far East-India leg is expected to be retained. The Pearl-Shikra service currently operates with 8,000-9,400 TEU vessels.

New & updated services

Africa↔Mediterranean

In late June, CMA CGM revised the rotation of its EURAF5 service, which connects West Africa and the Mediterranean. Calls in Luanda and Pointe Noire were replaced with San Pedro and Dakar.

• Carrier service name: EURAF5
• Port rotation: Lekki - Cotonou - San Pedro - Dakar - Tangier - Algeciras - Tema - Lekki
• First sailing: CMA CGM Eiffel / 0BVMXS1MA, ATD Lekki 24 June

Asia↔North America

At the end of July, ONE and COSCO will move the Norfolk call on their WIN service earlier in the port rotation. The service runs between the Indian Sub-continent and East Coast North America. HMM slot charters on this service.

• Carrier service name: WIN (ONE, COSCO), IAX (HMM)
• Port rotation: Hazira - Nhava Sheva - Mundra - New York - Norfolk - Savannah - Jacksonville - Charleston - Hazira
• First sailing: ONE Theseus / 0092E/W, ETD Hazira 27 July

Europe↔South and Central America

CMA CGM and Maersk announced an extension to the temporary rotation adjustment on their service between North Europe and East Coast South America. For another four consecutive July voyages, London Gateway has been temporarily replaced by Southampton.

• Carrier service name: SAFRAN (CMA CGM), NEOSAMBA (Maersk)
• Port rotation: Southampton - Rotterdam - Hamburg - Antwerp - Tanger - Santos - Paranagua - Buenos Aires - Montevideo - Rio Grande - Paranagua - Santos - Tanger - Southampton
• Affected sailings: SAN LORENZO MAERSK / 0EWKQN1MA (NB) / 0EWL7S1MA (SB), ETA Southampton 3 July

  • SAN MARCO MAERSK / 0EWKSN1MA (NB) / 0EWL9S1MA (SB), ETA Southampton on 10 July
  • MAERSK LONDRINA / 0EWKUN1MA (NB) / 0EWLBS1MA (SB), ETA Southampton on 17 July
  • CAP SAN ARTEMISSIO / 0EWKWN1MA (NB) / 0EWLDS1MA (SB) - ETA Southampton on July 24th

Intra-South and Central America

From mid-July, Maersk will merge its WCCA1 and WCCA3 services, keeping the name WCCA1. The details are as follows:

• Carrier service name: WCCA1
• Port rotation: Lazaro Cardenas - Acajutla - Balboa - Balboa - Corinto - Puerto Quetzal - Lazaro Cardenas
• First sailing: TBA

North America↔South America

Maersk removed Norfolk from its SAE service at the end of June. The last sailing with a Norfolk call was the Seaspan Hannover / 525S, which departed on 27 June.

• Carrier service name: South Atlantic Express (SAE)
• Port rotation: Manzanillo - Puerto Cortes - Santo Tomas de Castilla - Port Everglades - Wilmington - Philadelphia - Wilmington - Savannah - Port Everglades - Santo Tomas de Castilla - Puerto Cortes - Manzanillo

Instead, Norfolk will be added to its NAE service in mid-July. The Wilmington call will be removed from the rotation after the last sailing on 10 July. Cargo to/from Wilmington will be routed on the SAE service via Panama.

• Carrier service name: North Atlantic Express (NAE)
• Port rotation: Cartagena - Turbo - Manzanillo - Puerto Moin - Philadelphia - Norfolk - Savannah - Cartagena
• First sailing Norfolk: Polar Costa Rica / 529S, ETA Norfolk, 16 July
• Last sailing Wilmington: Polar Brasil / 528S, ETD Wilmington 10 July

For more point-to-point service options, including transit times across major ocean carriers, refer to seaexplorer.

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