The new Saudi Arabian shipping company Folk Maritime, led by ex-Hamburg Süd CEO Haestbek, has found a partner in CMA CGM for a liner service in the Red Sea.
The French container liner shipping company CMA CGM, which is No. 3 in the global market, has announced a “joint, improved service” that will start in April[ds_preview].
The NRX (North Red Sea Express) will connect the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah Islamic Port with the new logistics project NEOM, the ports of Sokhna in Egypt, Aqaba in Jordan and Yanbu in Saudi Arabia. The aim is to expand logistics capacities in the northern Red Sea and “strengthen Saudi Arabia’s growing strategic position as a global logistics hub”, despite the major risks currently posed by attacks on merchant ships by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, according to a statement.
This service will be operated in partnership with Folk Maritime, the first independent feeder and shortsea shipping company in Saudi Arabia. The carrier was only recently founded and is managed by Paul Hestbaek, former head of the Hamburg Süd liner shipping company, which has since been absorbed into the Maersk Group.
CMA CGM and Folk deploy “Jin Shun He”
As part of the weekly service, two vessels will be deployed for transshipment at both Jeddah Islamic Port Terminals Red Sea Gate Terminal (RSGT) and DP World Jeddah (DPW Jeddah). The aim is to meet the growing market and trade needs of the region. The first departure of the NRX service is scheduled for April 9 from Jeddah with the “Jin Shun He” (2,109 TEU).
“We are delighted to partner with Folk Maritime on this enhanced service that will connect the ports of Jeddah with the growing market needs of NEOM and other key ports in the northern Red Sea. This service will not only help Saudi Arabia expand its logistics capabilities in the Northern Red Sea, but also provide our customers with a better offering in this important region where the CMA CGM Group has been pioneering direct calls to the port of NEOM since March 2023,” said Olivier Nivoix, Vice President CMA CGM Group Lines.
