Shipping line CMA CGM has added Charleston to its AMERXL service, a fixed-day weekly route between the U.S. East Coast and the west coast of South America, the South Carolina State Ports Authority announced Aug. 26.
The rotation calls at Port Everglades, Florida; Philadelphia; New York; Charleston; Cartagena, Colombia; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Callao, Peru; and San Antonio, Chile, according to SC Ports. Southbound transit times run 5 to 17 days.
The authority’s October list of ocean carrier services shows AMERXL calling at North Charleston Terminal with ships averaging about 3,000 TEUs, or 20-foot equivalent units.
SC Ports said Charleston now has six weekly services to and from South America.
The authority is marketing the route for refrigerated cargo. Importers gain more reefer capacity for seafood, produce and flowers from the region, and exporters gain access to markets for U.S. protein, SC Ports said.
“As the Southeast population continues to grow, enhanced cold chain access is critical for importers in the region,” SC Ports CEO Micah Mallace said in the announcement. He said the port has more than 2,000 reefer slots, where refrigerated containers plug in, and ample cold storage nearby.
Greg Tyler, president and CEO of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, said the trade group “welcomes the additional export capacity out of the Port of Charleston.”
“This service creates another gateway for U.S. food and agricultural producers to access South America,” Tyler said in the announcement.
The service calls at a terminal that has been losing volume. North Charleston Terminal handled 27,944 containers from July through September, down 20.6% from a year earlier, according to SC Ports.
