Port Otago has welcomed back the world’s third-largest shipping service, CMA CGM, after a four-year hiatus triggered by Covid interruptions and the resulting supply chains disruptions.
In Australasia, CMA CGM operates as ANL – a shipping line originally established by the Australian Government in the 1950s and purchased by France-based CMA CGM Group in 1998.
The first vessel servicing the new ANL TRANZTAS weekly service is the CMA CGM Semarang, berthed in Port Chalmers this week.
The TRANZTAS service has operated in New Zealand for several years. For the past 15 months, it has called Sydney – Melbourne – Auckland – Tauranga – Lyttelton. This month sees it double the number of calls to: Sydney – Melbourne – Auckland – Port Chalmers – Lyttelton – Nelson – Napier – Tauranga.
Port Otago Commercial Manager Craig Usher says the return of ANL is great news, especially with peak season approaching. “It’s particularly good for our customers because it’s a reliable weekly service, and because it links in with four other CMA CGM services that carry product to our exporters’ key global destinations. ANL’s reputation for providing a quality service is well recognised. It’s excellent to have them back in the mix.”
From a port business perspective, the ANL service operates to a Wednesday afternoon shipping window. “Our other three core shipping services operate to Friday to Tuesday windows, so this mid-week window is helpful for optimising our infrastructure and smoothing out our team’s workload.”
CMA CGM Group Agencies General Manager Gary Carter says the new rotation marks a positive development in the Group’s commitment to the Lower South Island. “ANL serves as a key link to global destinations for exporters and importers. With a reliable major carrier, global market access, new-build reefers and a dedicated Oceania-based team, ANL stands out by understanding and supporting the complex needs of the Oceania market.
“The timing is crucial to leverage CMA CGM’s capabilities, and the acquisition of a fourth ship expedited the introduction of this enhanced service.”