Starting in September, Vlissingen will get a weekly call in rotation of the EURAF1 service of CMA CGM to West Africa, after a successful pilot in 2015. Reefer containers are loaded with potatoes and onions in Vlissingen.
CMA speaks of a ‘unique direct service’ from Vlissingen to Senegal and the Ivory Coast. The rotation of the weekly service is: Dunkirk -Tilburg - Antwerp - Vlissingen - Dunkirk - Le Havre - Montoir - Tanger Med - Algeciras - Dakar - Abidjan - Dakar - Algeciras - Dunkirk. The service is executed by six ships of 3,400 to 3,800 TEU with 500 to 600 reefer connections.
On Friday, 9 September, the first call in Vlissingen is planned for the CMA CGM Partici. The ship has a load capacity of 42,000 tonnes, a nominal container capacity of 3,500 TEU, and will service the Dutch port after Antwerp and then set sail for Dunkirk.
The EURAF service will call on hub ports Algeciras and Tanger Med, from where onward connections to numerous destinations are possible.