CMA CGM and Maersk Line have signed a cooperation agreement on the Danish operator's new line between North Asia and the US West Coast.

For the first time, CMA CGM will be providing weekly connections between 2 Korean ports (Kwangyang and Pusan), four major Japanese ports (Kob', Shimizu, Nagoya, Yokohama) and two US West Coast ports (Los Angeles, Oakland ) eastbound.

Two calls in Yokohama and Kobe will also be provided westbound from the US West Coast (Los Angeles/Oakland), offering new export opportunities for CMA CGM US-based customers.

Beginning in April 2008, the service will deploy five 4000 teu vessels with transit times among the most competitive on the market : 14 days from Korea to the US West Coast, and 10 days from Japan.

'This new service between Japan and North America reinforces the Group's already strong presence in China. It also enhances our coverage of the Japanese market, where the Group just opened a new agency - CMA CGM (JAPAN) K.K. - as a symbol of its commitment to developing its activities in the archipelago', explains Jean-Philippe Thenoz, Vice-President North America Lines at CMA CGM.