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DUNKIRK: IMPROVED SERVICES TO ASIA
15th october 2014

The shipping companies CMA CGM (FAL3 service), China Shipping Container Lines (AEX4 service) and UASC (AEC7 service) have just announced the setup of a cooperation called OCEAN THREE in all East-West services. The aim of this cooperation is to adjust to the rate of growing volumes, improving and optimising the use of ships by the three largest container shipping companies in the world.

The new services, which will start during December 2014, will include a link between Asia and northern Europe, in which Dunkirk will be served as a priority in Europe at import.

The improved transit times will allow the Port of Dunkirk to provide an even better service to its clients in northern France: sailing times will be 7 days shorter than at present.

The ports of call include the major Chinese ports of Tianjin, Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai and Yantian, a South Korean port (Busan) and Malaysia’s Port Kelang for transhipments in Southeast Asia. The services will also call at Beirut in Lebanon and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Stéphane Raison, Chair of Dunkerque-Port’s Executive Committee, welcomes this announcement: «With this new alliance, three shipping companies that rank among the world’s Top 20 have shown confidence in Dunkirk and its container terminal for their panel of services, and Dunkirk will regain a competitive position at import for all the major accounts and the SMEs and SMIs of the region. This announcement means that importers will gain in terms of productivity and cost. I wish to thank the three partners of the OCEAN THREE Alliance for responding positively to requests by the many importers and exporters in the region and beyond. Thanks to this innovative operational alliance, which offers more points of origin and more destinations, Dunkirk can position itself on the Asia-Europe axis with favourable transit times at import and competitive times at export. The fact that three leading worldwide shipping companies have included Dunkirk as a main port of call on one of their services confirms the relevance of the Port of Dunkirk as a major natural port of the Nord-Pas de Calais region, for import and export.»

And Jean-Charles Le Gall, President of the Maritime and Commercial Union (UMC) of Dunkirk, is delighted with this news: «The improvement of Dunkirk’s maritime services will certainly boost the volume of traffic through France’s third-largest port. The whole port community welcomes this announcement with enthusiasm.»

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