CMA CGM has announced the creation of two new cargo services: ASEA Kenya and ASEA Tanzania. They will improve maritime links between East Africa and Asia, from December 2014.

These two new services are expected to reduce transit times for cargo to Kenya and Tanzania.

Furthermore, the maritime links to Somalia will now be provided every week and the flows between Asia and some countries in Central and Southern Africa will also be more ease (including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe or South Sudan.)

Fleet

To enable these various transit operations, the group said in a statement that it will deploy “a fleet of ships of 2,800 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent).” It states that the capacity of the fleet dedicated to ASEA Kenya and ASEA Tanzania “is the most important in this area.” A deployment shows the ambitions of the French group in the region.

The company whose goal is to “support the growth of the East African market” continues its presence on the continent, according to its ambitions. In 2014, the group increased its actions in favour of strengthening its presence in Africa, including through the launch of new branches and the opening of a second platform container in Dakar, Senegal.

Moreover, in May, CMA CGM announced the deployment of a fleet of 12 vessels in West Africa. The ship-owner hopes to see its activities growing between 12 and 15% in Africa.