FRENCH LINE CMA CGM is keen to grow its involvement in the developing southern Africa market. That’s according to Marseilles-based cross trade manager Patrice Derlon who was in South Africa last week to call on shippers exporting to non-traditional areas globally, including the Caribbean, Baltic and Black Sea areas. His visit included Gauteng, Durban and Cape Town. Derlon was part of a delegation from head office 18 months ago which undertook a survey of South Africa’s potential. “Development in this part of the world, and the way Africa as a whole is opening up is attracting more and more of our attention. I intend to make regular visits here in the future to cement the arrangements we are making,” he said. CMA-CGM has agreements with MACS and Messina lines to carry its cargoes northbound for transhipment to its own vessels. Cargo bound for the Caribbean, for instance, is transhipped at Rotterdam or Hamburg on MACS vessels, while transhipments from Messina vessels use West Mediterranean ports.
