Carrier adds vessel, increases frequency to weekly on route to Caribbean
By TOM PETERS
May 24, 2010
Ships in the Black Pearl service to Jamaica from Halifax will be sailing full for the foreseeable future, says Peter Hinge, general manager of CMA CGM (Canada) Inc.
The French line has expanded the service by making it weekly and adding a second vessel. The port rotation is Kingston, New York, Halifax and back to Kingston.
The line started with an 1,100-TEU (20-foot equivalent) ship on a fortnightly service through Halifax in February 2009 and then ran into a difficult period when the world economy took a downturn. However, by the end of the year and into 2010, “we knew we had a winner,” Mr. Hinge said in an interview in Halifax during a kickoff reception for the service.
The service was overbooked and CMA CGM realized it had to add extra capacity to handle all the cargo.
“We had to move on and make it weekly. Then it was just a matter of having the pieces fall into place,” Mr. Hinge said.
The service now has two 1,100-TEU ships and Mr. Hinge said they expect to load 250 to 400 TEUs out of Halifax weekly. The return trip from Kingston is supported by good business out of New York.
“In New York, we are picking up some good contracts,” Mr. Hinge said. “It is cargo that can take a few extra days of transit to Halifax before going back to Kingston.”
The Jamaican port is a hub for CMA CGM in the Caribbean where it connects with many of the carrier’s own shipping services and vessels.
“Our network in the Caribbean is essentially one that goes everywhere,” Mr. Hinge said. “We literally cover all of the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, the north coast of Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, Cuba and into Asia. We have a have particularly strong service from Southeast Asia via New York and into Halifax that we are excited about as well.”
If cargo continues to increase out of Halifax, it is not unreasonable to think the line may at some point add larger vessels, Mr. Hinge added.
George Malec, vice-president of business development and operations for the Halifax Port Authority, said, “We are very pleased to see the continued confidence CMA CGM places in the Port of Halifax and the levels to which they have been able to work with the Atlantic exporting community, in particular, to grow this business and generate more opportunities.”
From Halifax, the service carries temperature-controlled cargo such as seafood and agricultural products. It also loads some cargo from Montreal.