SHIPPING line CMA CGM has announced it will become the group’s exclusive commercial carrier on the Trans-Pacific trade, with subsidiary APL to focus on US government work via its fleet of American-flagged vessels.

The plan, to take effect on 1 October, is also described as an effort to reinforce the CMA CGM Singapore hub and drive development in the Asia-Pacific region.

President of CMA CGM and APL in the United States, Ed Aldridge, said they were “leveraging the very best of CMA CGM and APL, two major carriers in the US, to bring our customers an even more focused and streamlined customer experience”.

“This simplification fortifies the group’s number-one position in the country while enabling us to build upon APL’s rich heritage of US-flag ship operations and service to the United States government,” he said.

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Stéphane Courquin, head of CMA CGM Asia Pacific, said the reorganisation of their trans-Pacific trade would “keep our global network more efficient and diversified”.

“The creation of a new Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore demonstrates our dedication to serve the region as we take supply chain efficiency to the next level, leveraging our expertise in shipping and logistics,” Mr Courquin said.

With this new development, the CMA CGM Group has sought to simplify its brand strategy with CMA CGM as its global commercial carrier.

Lines that form part of CMA CGM are:

  • APL, as the expert carrier in US government cargo
  • ANL, a key player in Australia and Oceania
  • CNC, as the intra-Asia short-sea specialist,
  • Mercosul Lines, as the Brazilian cabotage expert,
  • Containerships, as the multimodal transport intra-European leader.