The French liner shipping company CMA CGM is withdrawing Bremerhaven from its Safran service, which connects the east coast of South America with Europe.
The “Cap San Tainaro” will be the last ship to depart from the Stromkaje for South America on 30 May. In the opposite direction, the “Vap San Maleas” will dock at the Weser quay for the last time the day before. [ds_preview]
Hamburg, on the other hand, will remain part of the rotation, which also includes calls in London, Rotterdam and Antwerp in Europe. It will then sail via Tangier Med to Santos, Paranagua, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio Grande and back eastwards across the Atlantic.
Euphoria in Bremerhaven fizzles out
The French are not giving any details of the exact reasons. Bremerhaven was only added at the beginning of the year. At that time, the shipping company’s head office in Marseille was still saying that the port on the Weser was to serve as a gateway for connecting transports within Europe. Apparently, these hopes have not been fulfilled.
Bremerhaven must hope all the more for the launch of Maersk’s Gemini Cooperation with Hapag-Lloyd in February 2025 after the considerable crisis losses in recent years, which pushed container throughput below the 5 million TEU mark. The new alliance intends to organise its future liner network around twelve hubs worldwide. Bremerhaven, like Wilhelmshaven, is one of the ports selected for this.
