French shipping company ships to resume calls at Ukraine’s Odesa

Source: Splash247

French shipping giant CMA CGM has announced plans to resume services to Ukraine’s Odesa. Tis development comes as Kyiv gradually rebuilds its maritime trade routes.

Starting late January, CMA CGM will launch the new Odessa Express (ODX), a direct loop connecting Piraeus (Greece) and Istanbul (Turkey) with Odesa (Ukraine). This move will see CMA CGM becoming  the second major carrier to restart Ukrainian operations with its own vessels, following MSC’s earlier Black Sea feeder service between Constanta (Romania) and Chornomorsk.

CMA CGM’s new route will be the first direct maritime connection between Greece and Ukraine after Russia imposed its blockade at the Black Sea.

The ODX service plans to deploy two vessels: the 1,118 TEU Lila Canada and the 1,550 TEU TJ Orhan. The TJ Orhan is scheduled to depart Piraeus on January 24, with its first call at Odesa expected on January 28.

Regular container services to Ukrainian ports resumed in April when Iteris Feeders, a Ukrainian transport and logistics firm, launched a route linking Constanta and Chornomorsk.