Separate services cater for importers and exporters

IN SERVICING the SA-Far East trade, the
shipping line CMA-CGM has established
two services – AFEX on the westbound leg
from Asia into Durban, and the SEAS service
outbound from Durban.
“We are currently running AFEX with a
sailing approximately three times a month
into Durban,” said Pam Yerushalmy, GM of
CMA-CGM Shipping Agency in SA.
“It is designed to cover the needs of our
importer customer base in SA.”
The service has direct calls at Xingang,
Qingdao, Busan, Shanghai, Chiwan, Nansha,
Port Kelang, Port Louis, Durban.
On the eastbound trade the line’s SEAS
service has weekly sailings carrying export
cargoes from Durban to Port Kelang, Hong
Kong, Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo and Chiwan.
“It carries the traditional general cargoes
from SA to Asia,” said Yerushalmy, “with base
minerals also currently high on the list of our
SA exports.”
These cargoes were also supplemented
during the last citrus season with fruit
exports, the service being well supplied with
reefer (refrigerated container) trade.
“We are also getting good service integrity
on SEAS,” Yerushalmy said, “which gives our
customers a reliable channel for their exports
into Asia.”
CMA-CGM employs five of the tenstrong
fleet on the service – run in a shipsharing
alliance with China Shipping and
Maruba.
“This eastbound trade remains highly
competitive as far as rates are concerned,”
said Yerushalmy.”