CMA CGM PEX 3 service will call at Mobile

CMA CGM PEX 3 service will call at Mobile

CMA CGM said Thursday its trans-Panama PEX 3 service linking Asia to the U.S. Gulf and East coasts will begin calling at the Mobile Container Terminal in late December, adding the Alabama as a second Gulf call to a service that also calls Houston.

   The first CMA CGM vessel to call Mobile will be the CMA CGM Orca, on Dec. 26.

   According to American Shipper’s ComPair Data affiliate, the service employs eight ships averaging 5,011 TEUs in capacity in the following rotation: Shanghai, Xiamen, Chiwan (Shenzhen), Hong Kong, Houston, Norfolk, Savannah, Kingston and Shanghai. China Shipping Container Line charters space on the vessels.

   The service was announced during a grand opening ceremony for the terminal. The terminal has been in operation since Sept. 22 and is currently used by Zim Line.

   Built at a cost of $300 million, it is a joint venture between the Terminal Link division of CMA CGM, Alabama State Port Authority, and APM Terminals, which operates and manages the facility. Start-up capacity is 350,000 TEUs, and the terminal could eventually handle 800,000 TEUs annually.

   The overall project includes a separate intermodal rail transfer facility and modern distribution complex. It employs 300 and that number could swell to 1,300 eventually.