The French shipping company CMA CMG, one of the largest in the world, has decided to reinforce the container shipping service it operates between the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Europe. The addition of Cadiz will enable it to provide a better connection to the south of Spain from the United Kingdom, France and the Netherlands. Until 9 July, when it was extended, the route ended in Setúbal, in southern Portugal, and had Ferrol (La Coruña) as its only Spanish stop.

The port of Cadiz is celebrating this new maritime connection that will increase container traffic and is a good indicator regarding the forthcoming extension of its new terminal, which will represent a turning point in the movement of goods from the Andalusian city. The first phase of the new container terminal is expected to start operations in 2025, with construction of the second phase expected to be completed by 2026.

Weekly frequency
Two vessels cover the route, which has a duration of 14 days, meaning that the frequency of the service to the ports of call is weekly. Starting in Cadiz, the service makes two stops in Portugal (Setubal and Leixoes), one in Spain (Ferrol), one in the United Kingdom (Tilbury), one in France (Dunkirk) and the last one in the Netherlands (Rotterdam).

The shipping company boasts of the sustainability of its direct weekly service thanks to the use of LNG (liquefied natural gas) for the propulsion of the two large vessels that cover the route between Cadiz and Rotterdam. The new port of call at Cadiz will enable it to offer fast and competitive transit times, especially for imports from southern Spain.

Direct link to the railway
The CMA CGM Containerships vessels will arrive at the container terminal in the port of Cadiz on Mondays at around 6 pm, and will depart at 3 am on Tuesdays. When the new container terminal at the port of Cadiz starts operating, it will have a direct link to the railway, which will greatly speed up the flow of goods over its nearly forty hectares of surface area.

The new terminal will have an operational berthing area of over 1000 linear metres, with a depth of sixteen metres, which will enable the berthing of super post panamaxes, the largest container ships in the world.

^{Photo: CMA CMG}