CMA CGM Suspends Transatlantic Segment of PAD Service for 18 Weeks

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 1, CMA CGM will suspend the transatlantic segment of its Panama Direct (PAD) service for 18 weeks following the end of the kiwifruit season, from mid-November 2026 to late March 2027. During the suspension, PAD will no longer call at any Northern European ports, while the weekly service from Oceania to the U.S. East Coast will continue, with capacity reduced from 15 vessels to 11 vessels of approximately 2,500 TEU each. In its customer notice, CMA CGM attributed the suspension to "seasonal adjustment of the winter network" and "anticipated difficulties in transatlantic navigation."

All five Northern European ports are removed, and the temporary port rotation has been confirmed. During the suspension, the PAD port rotation will be: New York—Savannah—Kingston—Papeete—Nouméa—Brisbane—Sydney—Melbourne—Tauranga—Cartagena—Savannah—Philadelphia—New York. Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Dunkirk, Le Havre, and Cork in the original rotation will no longer be called at. The withdrawal of the transatlantic segment releases 4 vessels, reducing the PAD fleet from 15 to 11 ships.

Daily milestones have been specified in the customer notice. The last northbound PAD direct sailing will be operated by NORDAMELIA, with Le Havre call on November 7, 2026, and Dunkirk on November 10. The first PCRF XL service connecting Pacific Island cargo will be operated by CC KHAO SOK, maintaining a weekly service via Kingston transshipment, with Le Havre on November 14 and Dunkirk on November 13. The PAD transatlantic direct service is scheduled to resume in April 2027, with the first sailing operated by CC PREGOLIA, calling Le Havre on April 3 and Dunkirk on April 2.

According to the customer notice, PCRF XL connects to PAD via Kingston, maintaining weekly service to the Pacific Islands with unchanged call conditions. The Port of Kingston currently has a nominal capacity of nearly 3 million TEU, and this connection is of strategic importance to the CMA CGM Group; terminal expansion and equipment additions have been completed concurrently, including 14 mobile container cranes and 2 new shore cranes. This arrangement allows the suspension of the transatlantic segment without interrupting the weekly connection between Oceania and the U.S. East Coast, merely detaching the Northern European segment from the service.