CMA CGM has upgraded its Victory Bridge service linking North Europe with the U.S. South Atlantic, Mexico and the U.S. Gulf. Operated in partnership with CSAV, the service replaces one that was previously offered jointly with MSC. It will deploy five vessels of 3,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), three from CMA CGM and two from CSAV. The new joint service offers two weekly sailings between Mexico and North Europe, with an extra call in Rotterdam to serve North European exporters as well as reefer importers. The port rotation will be Le Havre, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, Charleston, Miami, Vera Cruz, Altamira, Houston, Miami and back to Le Havre. The new Victory Bridge service is scheduled to commence in October, 2010. In a related announcement, CMA CGM has taken delivery of two new containerships, the Lamartine of 6,500 TEUs and the Callisto of 11,400 TEUs. Both ships were built in South Korea, the first by Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co., and the second by Hyundai Heavy Industries. The Lamartine is slated for the Asia-Mediterranean trade, while the giant Callisto will be deployed on the FAL 5 (French Asia Line) service between Asia and North Europe.
