Welcoming the maiden call of m/v CMA CGM Racine on Sunday February 1st 2015 was an important event for La Spezia Container Terminal (LSCT). The voyage marked the first sailing by a CMA-CGM SA operated ship along the jointly run MINA (also known to CMA-CGM SA as Amerigo Express), a service connecting the Indian-Sub continent, Middle East, Mediterranean and the US East Coast.
The m/v CMA CGM Racine, 300 metres in length and a nominal capacity of 6,540 TEUs, is one of the two units currently deployed by the Marseillaise shipping line on this service, with the other ship – the m/v CMA CGM Moliere – expected to call in La Spezia around March 22nd. Clearly, the engagement of the m/v CMA CGM Racine falls in line with the on-going fleet upgrade which will see the MINA supply only units in the range of 6,500 – 7,000 TEUs in capacity each.
Michele Giromini – LSCT managing director – comments “…CMA-CGM SA is a longstanding customer of ours, not only in La Spezia, but also at Group level. And to have them now provide two ships along the MINA strengthens our business relationship even further. Their involvement provides additional competitiveness to the connectivity of the La Spezia System as CMA-CGM SA can now offer from LSCT a direct call from the Indian Sub-Continent to Italy and from Italy to North American markets. Our French partners, likewise many other of our valued customers, are deploying larger units. This in turn implies an enhanced sophistication in the level of service provided. We – as La Spezia System – have to commit to accommodate these requirements by upholding the standards to an absolute high, not only by investing in new infrastructure, but in understanding what best tailors the various needs on a customer-to-customer basis. And we are successful in this, testified by the trust global shipping lines have in our terminal with their growing traffic, wider networks and a broader portfolio of opportunities for their end customers, both on the maritime and inland side...”
M/v CMA CGM Racine was berthed upon her arrival along the Fornelli West berth and immediately operated by LSCT gangs who performed a total of 1,069 contractual container moves, together with 24 hatch cover moves. The customized crest for celebrating the ship’s maiden call in La Spezia and the commencement of CMA-CGM SA’s partnership on the MINA was presented by LSCT planner Gianni Scapparone to captain Mervenko Vadym. M/v CMA CGM Racine was then cleared for departure the next day, continuing her journey westbound.
