CMA CGM is to launch a direct service between Central America fruit loading ports and St Petersburg on an extension of its existing Europe-Caribbean-NCSACentram (ECS) service creating an port rotation of eight weeks rather than six.

It will deploy a further two vessels to St Peterburg's FSC and Petrolesport and also Tallinn for the service, outside of icing season when direct links will be suspended. It will add a call to Kingston in order to offer customers transhipment to US market.



The ECS revised port rotation will be as follows: Rotterdam (Uniport + ECT-Delta), Hamburg, St Petersburg (FSC & Petrolesport), Tallinn, Hamburg, Rotterdam (ECT-Delta & Uniport), Antwerp, Le Havre, Kingston, Cartagena, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Puerto Cortes, Moin, Kingston, Rotterdam.



Slot-sharing on the ESC by carrier CSAV and Hapag-Lloyd will not extend to the Baltic region.



The direct service is the third offered by the larger carriers with Maersk Line providing the Europe-Mexico-Centram service (CRX) from Central America to St Petersburg, a dedicated service to Costa Rica's port at Moin. The Danish carrier also provides Ecubex service connecting Ecuador and Colombia to St Petersburg.



MSC offered a Centram to St Petersburg service for a year ending June 2012 when it was replaced by a transhipment service.