Large Global Shipping Line Will Begin Weekly Service to Saint John
SAINT JOHN – CMA-CGM, the third largest container line in the world, will be providing weekly connections to global markets beginning in late August, Port Saint John announced Wednesday.
“The addition of CMA-CGM to the services available to shippers and receivers in the region and beyond provides even more opportunity to access new markets with their products,” said Jim Quinn, president & CEO of Port Saint John.
In an interview, Quinn said that the new service opens up new markets on the eastern seaboard of the U.S., with ports of call in New York City; Savannah, Georgia; and Miami.
“Exporters will now have access to significant centres with large populations,” said Quinn adding that water transportation in the most cost-effective way to ship goods.
Quinn also said that the new line will open up opportunities in the Caribbean and South America, and the rest of the world, because Kingston, Jamaica, is an important transshipment centre.
He said it will also create import opportunities because the container ships come directly to Saint John from Jamaica, not stopping somewhere like New York first where goods could be offloaded and shipped out by rail or truck.
Quinn said the new line will be good for the land-based shippers, increasing business on the import and export ends.
The CMA-CGM line also has “reefer containers,” which are designed for the transport of perishable goods in a temperature-controlled environment. The company’s containers come in different sizes and are equipped with the latest technologies.
“CMA-CGM’s technical specialization with ‘reefer containers’ is a vital addition to the existing offerings at Port Saint John,” said Quinn.
It’s been a good week for the port, the “backbone of the New Brunswick economy,” says Quinn. On Wednesday, the provincial and federal governments announced a $60-million initiative to increased exports and attract foreign investment in Atlantic Canada.
And now there is the announcement of the new shipping line that will create increased access to global markets for local and regional companies.
The weekly call on CMA-CGM’s Cagema service will begin the week of August 21 and will offer transhipment to the world via their hub in Kingston, Jamaica.
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