Deepsea shipping lines CMA CGM and CSCL have joined forces to deploy larger vessels on Asia-Middle East services.

The CMA CGM Cimex and CSCL Ama services, which featured vessels of 3,000-5,700teu, will be replaced on 8 July by a joint Cimex product offering additional port calls using six 8,500teu vessels.

The carriers claimed the move would not add any capacity to a trade which they predicted would continue to enjoy healthy growth.

CMA CGM said Cimex wwould be the only Asia-Middle East service which called at four ports in the Gulf.

The new Cimex rotation is: Tianjin, Dalian, Pusan, Shanghai (Yangshan), Shanghai (Waigaoqiao), Ningbo, Shekou, Port Kelang, Khor Fakkan, Jebel Ali, Damman, Bandar Abbas, Port Kelang, Nansha and Tianjin.