French container shipping giant CMA-CGM is to add a new call to Belfast Harbour to its Irish Sea Express CS container feeder service.

The new container service will boost capacity and service options for both importers and exporters in Northern Ireland.

CMA-CGM which is the third largest container line will run the service between Belfast Harbour’s Victoria Terminal 3 (VT3) and a number of UK and European ports, including Dunkirk and Rotterdam.

Operating on a weekly rotation, the service will see vessels including the Mistral, Allegro (see photo) and Elbteam calling at Belfast Harbour.

Since 2018, over £30m has been invested at the VT3, including the installation of fully electric ship-to-shore cranes in 2020, significantly improving safety, sustainability, efficiency and capacity, and making VT3 one of the most modern container terminals on the island of Ireland.

Following the recent investment, the terminal handled 126,000 container units in 2022 and a record 132,000 the previous year, which was the highest level of container traffic since 2008.

The CMA CGM Group is a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, serving more than 420 ports around the world across 5 continents, with a fleet of around 600 vessels. The Group is present in 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices and 750 warehouses.

Michael Robinson, Port Director at Belfast Harbour, said: “This new service from CMA-CGM will provide increased frequency of container services calling at Belfast, offering benefits for both importers and exporters in Northern Ireland.”

Alan Horner, Managing Director of CMA-CGM, said: “In line with CMA CGM group’s innovative approach to maritime development we are delighted to add Belfast to our global port coverage where we will leverage the synergies between our shipping services on the main intercontinental routes and our revamped intra-regional lines in the Irish Sea".

"The additional port call at Belfast gives our Northern Ireland clients direct access to our over 257 shipping routes and 420 ports of call worldwide.”