CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, has welcomed the maiden call of Ocean Rise Express (OCR), a new weekly service connecting Japan directly to North Europe, at the Port of Kobe on April 2.

This latest move reinforces the Group's ongoing commitment to strengthening Japan's supply chain resilience and expanding access to global markets.

Direct connection from Japan to North Europe

The French global shipping and logistics group said OCR provides shippers with a direct connection from Japan to major North European gateways, offering best-in-market transit times and enhanced schedule reliability.

From Yokohama, cargo is expected to arrive in Rotterdam in 38 days, Hamburg in 41 days and Southampton in 45 days.

Fully operated by CMA CGM, OCR helps accelerate cargo delivery and improve shippers' time-to-market – at a time when supply chain predictability matters more than ever.

The inaugural call on April 2 was undertaken by the CMA CGM TOSCA, an 8,000 TEU vessel. The vessel will subsequently call at Nagoya and Yokohama, Japan, followed by Xiamen and Yantian, China, before proceeding to Northern Europe.

OCR follows the Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Xiamen – Yantian – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Nansha – Kobe port rotation.

Enhanced service connecting Japan to U.S. West Coast

In addition, CMA CGM is also enhancing its Eagle Express 1 (EX1) service, further reinforcing Japan's connectivity to the United States West Coast through improved port coverage and competitive transit times.

This U.S. Flag service with weekly departures supports optimized frequency and reliability.

EX1 will feature additional port calls in Japan – Kobe, Nagoya and Yokohama. Cargo from these ports will arrive in Los Angeles in 16 days, 14 days and 12 days, respectively.

With the improved network design, shippers benefit from fast, dependable transit to the U.S. West Coast, and a more resilient supply chain supported by CMA CGM's strategic terminal presence in Los Angeles (FMS), Busan (BNC) and Yokohama (Honmoku D5).

The weekly service will commence sailing from Port of Kobe on May 5, 2026 following the Qingdao – Busan – Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Los Angeles – Oakland – Yokohama – Naha – Busan – Qingdao port rotation.

"We are delighted to welcome the maiden call of Ocean Rise Express in Kobe today. This new service reaffirms Japan's strategic importance within CMA CGM’s global network, strengthens Asia-Europe connectivity while delivering greater value and schedule reliability for our customers in Japan," said Hideki Uchida, representative director and president, CMA CGM Japan.

"Enhancements to Eagle Express 1 further reinforce Asia-U.S. connectivity, reflecting our priority to provide timely shipping solutions and our continued commitment to reliability and service excellence," he added.

Present in Japan since 2007, CMA CGM operates 15 services across 14 ports. Through its logistics arm, CEVA Logistics, the CMA CGM Group also provides comprehensive end-to-end logistics solutions across the country, further strengthening its integrated supply chain offering.