Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), in which APM Terminals has a 49% share, was the first terminal to be called on the new TP23/LIBERTY/ZSE service connecting Vietnam with the US East Coast. During its first call at CMIT on 14 June, 2021, the Porto Kagio handled 5,000 TEUs. With high-level productivity, CMIT handled the vessel in around 23 hours to ensure a timely departure, according to the company's release.
2M Alliance - including Maersk and MSC line – and Zim line are currently among the biggest shipping lines in term of operation capacity and market share. The total volume of these three players account for more than 1/3 of the total container shipping volume globally. The TP23/LIBERTY/ZSE service is the 4th direct 2M Alliance and ZIM line US market service to call CMIT to meet increasing shipping demand, provide more options for importers and exporters and boost the Vietnam-US connection.
The new AWE6/ VCE service connects Cai Mep with other terminals on the rotation between Asia and the US East coast. COSCO and OOCL now have 3 weekly services connecting Asia (Cai Mep) with the US. On it first call at CMIT on 17 June 2021, the COSCO HELLAS loaded around 3,500 TEUs destined for the US.
CMIT is currently the only terminal in Vietnam approved to handle ultra-large vessels (>18,000 TEU) and last year received Maersk Line’s EEE vessel Margrethe Maersk with close to 20,000 TEU, the largest container vessel ever to call in Vietnam at 214,000 DWT. This was an indication of the trust shipping lines’ have in CMIT’s service.