CMA CGM new shipping service to cut transit times between Northern Europe and Lagos

French shipping giant CMA CGM is set to launch a new direct shipping service linking Northern Europe with key West African markets to reduce transit times and improve cargo connectivity to Nigeria, Ghana and Benin.

The new weekly service, named KORA EXPRESS, will commence with the sailing of the Navios Verano, scheduled to depart Southampton on August 26, 2026.

According to CMA CGM, the service is designed to offer faster and more reliable transport for shippers moving cargo between Northern Europe and West Africa, with what the company describes as market-leading transit times. The carrier said cargo from Antwerp to Tema, Ghana, will arrive in as little as 15 days, while Nigerian and Beninese importers are also expected to benefit from shorter delivery schedules.

The service will be operated exclusively by CMA CGM using a fleet of vessels with a nominal capacity of about 4,200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), providing weekly sailings to support growing trade volumes between the two regions.

The KORA EXPRESS rotation will cover Southampton, Vlissingen, Antwerp, Tanger Med, Algeciras, Tema, Lekki, Cotonou and Dakar, creating a direct maritime corridor connecting major European export hubs with some of West Africa’s busiest commercial gateways.

For Nigerian businesses, the inclusion of Lekki Deep Sea Port on the rotation is expected to strengthen the port’s position as a regional logistics hub and provide importers and exporters with another direct shipping option to Europe. Shorter transit times could also help businesses reduce inventory costs and improve supply chain efficiency, particularly for time-sensitive cargo.

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As part of the network restructuring, CMA CGM said its existing EURAF 5 service will be repositioned to focus on the southern West African corridor, offering direct calls at Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and Angola. The adjustment is intended to complement the KORA EXPRESS service by providing more specialised coverage across the region.

The French carrier said the new network would combine faster transit times, dedicated weekly capacity and broader connectivity through its transshipment hubs at Tanger Med and Algeciras, enabling customers to link cargo to its global shipping network.

The launch comes as competition among global container shipping lines intensifies for cargo moving into West Africa, where demand is being driven by expanding consumer markets, industrial growth and increasing investments in modern port infrastructure.

Nigeria, home to the region’s largest economy, remains one of the biggest destinations for containerised imports, with the development of Lekki Deep Sea Port attracting new direct shipping services from international carriers.