Christophe Colomb

The CMA CGM Group has announced the extension of its Black Pearl service, linking the US with the west coast of South America including Ecuador, Peru, Panama and Chile.

According to the French shipper, the upgraded service comes as a response to a growing market demand for exports between the US and the west coast of South America (year-on-year growth of 23.5 per cent in 2010) and between the US and the Caribbean (up 13.8 per cent this year).

As a result of the upgrade, CMA CGM customers will be provided with a unique service from Ecuador, Chile and Peru to Philadelphia and Halifax, as well as greater coverage of the Caribbean region, the Mexican Gulf and the east coast of South America with transhipments in Kingston (Jamaica).

As well as offering an enlarged reefer capacity, Black Pearl Service now offers connections to and from the Far East for cargo from the west coast of South America, as well as links to and from north Europe.

The new rotation will be New York, Halifax, Kingston, Cartagena, Punta Manzanillo, Balboa, Guayaquil, Callao, Arica, San Antonio, Callao, Guayaquil, Punta Manzanillo, Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia, New York.

“Thanks to these new calls on the West Coast of South America, CMA CGM will provide its customers with a unique and efficient transport solution to support their development within a growing market,” explained Jean-Yves Duval, vice-president for Caribbean and Latin American lines at CMA CGM. “This upgraded service will not only offer an extended coverage of the areas served but also numerous connections to the Caribbean Rim, East Coast of South America and the Far East thanks to seamless relay in Kingston and Balboa.”