Strong export demand from India combined with tightening vessel capacity is prompting ocean carriers to deploy additional sailings on key westbound routes to the U.S. East Coast and Northern Europe, according to industry sources cited by the Journal of Commerce (JOC).
CMA CGM appears to be taking a leading role in responding to the market upswing. The carrier has reportedly scheduled an extra sailing on its Epic service and is preparing an ad-hoc voyage on its India–U.S. East Coast Indamex service in August to accommodate growing cargo volumes.
Market sources indicate that the 5,090-TEU CMA CGM Dolphin is expected to be the first vessel deployed as an additional loader on the Epic service. Further extra-loader operations may follow, subject to vessel availability.
At the same time, CMA CGM is expected to benefit from a planned return of the Indamex service to the traditional Red Sea and Suez Canal routing next month. Industry observers believe this could improve schedule efficiency and create additional capacity for North American-bound cargo.
Cargo rollovers increase as capacity tightens
Shippers in India are facing increasing challenges securing space on premium westbound services from major gateway ports such as Nhava Sheva and Mundra. Industry sources report that cargo rollovers have reached between 2,000 and 3,000 TEUs per sailing on some services in recent weeks.
According to logistics consultancy 365 Logistics, a combination of capacity reductions, including blank sailings and service withdrawals, and stronger demand has pushed freight rates sharply higher.
The situation is being further influenced by the start of the traditional peak season and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties affecting global shipping networks and fuel markets.
Larger vessel deployments support U.S. East Coast services
As per JOC, carrier sources in India also report that additional allocations originating from the Middle East have been redirected to support exports bound for the U.S. East Coast. Recent departures on CMA CGM’s Indamex service and Hapag-Lloyd’s TPI service have reportedly handled up to 6,000 TEUs per call - significantly above typical volumes.
Meanwhile, Maersk is also believed to be increasing capacity on its U.S. East Coast-focused MECL service through the phased deployment of larger vessels extending into 2026, although the carrier has not publicly commented on the developments.
