CMA CGM opens Hub Antilles
CMA CGM launched a weekly 'Hub Antilles' transshipment service out of Guadeloupe and Martinique—backed by €336M in investments and an €80M carrier stake. The seven‑ship PCRF XL loop promises 2‑day transit gains, extra reefer capacity and a target of 300,000 transshipped boxes a year by 2027—a potential game changer for Caribbean inter‑island routing and exports like bananas.
The project was formalized by an agreement signed on December 19, 2023 with Rodolphe Saadé and ministers Philippe Vigier, Clément Beaune and Hervé Berville. ecologie.gouv.fr The funding framework assigns about €257 million to public‑works and port infrastructure under public contracting, according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition. ecologie.gouv.fr The official schedule laid out a progressive operational roll‑out beginning in early 2025 with a target for full deployment in autumn 2025. ecologie.gouv.fr CMA CGM’s service uses mainline vessels of roughly 6,000 TEU and the PCRF XL product is described in company documentation as operated entirely by CMA CGM. publicnow.com CMA CGM’s commercial notices list new port calls including a link to Rotterdam and an added call at Puerto Antioquia, plus feeder strings connecting Guatemala and Honduras into Pointe‑à‑Pitre. cma-cgm.fr Current combined transshipment throughput for the two islands is reported at roughly 68,000 TEU today, and CMA CGM says it already employs about 104 people in Martinique and 110 in Guadeloupe. antilla-martinique.com Local authorities and magistrates raised security concerns to a senate commission about the risk that a higher‑capacity hub could attract narcotraffic, a point recorded during official hearings. marine-oceans.com
