French liner giant CMA CGM has started up a Flamingo Express service at Port of Everglades' Florida International Terminal (FIT).
The new offering is expected to move between 8,000 teu and 10,000 teu of containerised cargo along routes that go to and from Port Everglades, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and Haiti.
It also provides connections to/and from North America, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe using Kingston as the hub for all locations.
“This is the start of an advantageous partnership between Port Everglades and one of the largest cargo shipping companies in the world,” port chief executive and director Jonathan Daniels said.
CMA CGM will use 678-teu feedermax Janina (built 2002) to carry out the Flamingo Express service.
The vessel is owned by Germany's Klingenberg Bereederung.
“We echo Jonathan Daniels' sentiments in welcoming CMA CGM's Flamingo Express service to Port Everglades," said Justin P Weir, CMA CGM's president and general manager of FIT, the port's cargo handler for CMA CGM.
"We are honoured to be able to have this new vessel call at our terminal operation here at FIT and we are committed to deliver the best service.
FIT, founded in 2004 through Latin American port operators SAAM and Agunsa, operates 46.6 acres in Port Everglades' Southport area.
CMA CGM, which has a fleet of 502 boxships, saw profits surge in November due to higher volumes and freight rates.
Net income rose to $567m for the third quarter of the year, compared with $45m in the same period in 2019.
The improvement was nearly wholly attributable to its shipping division.
It saw net income increase to $566m in the third quarter, compared with $90m in the same period last year.
In contrast, the carrier's logistics division, CEVA Logistics, barely broke even with a profit of just $1m.
