The EPIC service of CMA CGM Group is now calling Piraeus, Greece on its way from North Europe to the Indian subcontinent and Middle East. The new call allows the container carrier to offer a direct service from Southampton, Rotterdam, Le Havre and Antwerp with improved transit times. From Piraeus to the Arab Gulf, Indian subcontinent and Far East, the line is providing direct calls at Jebel Ali, Port Qasim, Nhava Sheva and Mundra. In a related development, CMA CGM has launched a new service linking Asia, Indian Ocean islands and South Africa. Dubbed the Shaka Express, the new weekly service will deploy six vessels of between 4,500 and 6,500 twenty-foot equivalent units. It includes new refrigerated capacity for exports from Durban and Port Elizabeth (Nqura) to Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as connections with the group's global network of lines via Hong Kong, for cargo to and from North China. Northbound and southbound calls in Port Louis allow for the relaying of cargo to and from all Indian Ocean islands, via a connection with the CMA CGM Mascareignes service.
