The CMA CGM Group will be adding a new call at the port of Wellington on its Panama Direct Line service from November 23, 2015, as part of its development strategy of reinforcing its presence in New Zealand.

The service will be the first direct connection between Wellington, the US East Coast and Europe, via the Panama Canal.

According to the carrier, the new call at Wellington offers New Zealand meat producers new export solutions because the city is a key meat production area and is well connected to the rest of the country by road and rail.

The new port rotation of the PAD service will be: Tilbury – Rotterdam – Dunkirk – Le Havre – New York – Savannah – Kingston – Cartagena – Papeete – Nouméa – Sydney – Melbourne – Wellington – Tauranga – Napier – Lyttleton – Panama – Savannah – Philadelphia – Tilbury – Rotterdam – Dunkirk – Le Havre.