French line set to change regional perception

Traffic is building on Mozex
Line (Delmas and CMA CGM)
– the direct service connecting
Asia with Mozambique, with calls
on all three of Mozambique’s main
ports – Maputo, Beira and Nacala,
says Arnaud Thibault, CMA CGM
and DELMAS Southern Africa
regional director.
CMA CGM Group, which is
the world’s third-largest container
shipping company (transporting
7.9-million TEUs in 2009), is
relatively unknown in Southern
Africa at present, admits Thibault.
The French Group is, however, set
on changing that as the region opens
up for trade.
The Mozex Line is complemented
by the Group’s AFEX service that
directly connects North, Central
China and South East Asia to
Cameroon, Benin and Nigeria, with
a stop in Maputo on the way back
to Port Kelang (hub for worldwide
connections) in Malaysia, Central
and North China.
The third line deployed by CMA
CGM Group is SWAX connecting
Nacala with the Middle East (direct
service).
From Malaysia (Mozex/Afex
Lines) or Middle East (Swax Line)
cargo can be transhipped to Europe,
USA, Oceania and South America,
according to Thibault.
CMA CGM subsidiary Delmas
operates 15 regular lines between
Europe and Asia, linking Africa to
all the other continents.
According to Thibault, CMA
CGM Group is committed to
developing the Southern African
routes, and now services on carrier
haulage to all the landlocked
countries (Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Malawi, Eastern DR
Congo) as well as South Africa.
“CMA CGM and DELMAS
offices have been opened in
Maputo, Beira and Nacala
for Mozambique but also
Lilongwe, Blantyre, Walvis Bay,
Johannesbourg, Durban over the
past two years. The next two offices
to open in the region are Lusaka and
Harare,” says Thibault.
“Beira is important because it
serves Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi
and the Democratic Republic of
Congo,” he says. “Nacala is also
important as it serves Malawi
too. We can also offer Botswana
via Durban or Walvis Bay and
Swaziland via Durban and Maputo.”
The services are providing
dry and reefer capacity for
Mozambique’s farmers.
The Mozambican services
however form part of a regional
network.
In June, CMA CGM Group
announced the addition of a new
call in Durban on its WAX service
(West Africa Express) linking Asia
to West Africa. This new weekly
call allows CMA CGM Group
to directly connect Asia to South
Africa, South Africa to West Africa
and South Africa to Asia.
CMA CGM now offers three
direct weekly services from Asia to
Africa, calling on 11 ports in Asia,
and 13 in West and Southern Africa.