The French company CMA CGM, one of the three largest container shipping operators in the world, is returning to Ukraine.
According to Splash 24/7, the company will launch a new route, Odessa Express, in late January between the ports of Piraeus (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), and Odessa.
CMA CGM will become the second major operator to return to Ukraine with its own vessels, following MSC.
Two vessels will operate on the route weekly: Lila Canada (1118 TEU) and TJ Orhan (1550 TEU).
This will be the first direct connection between Greece and Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, according to Alphaliner.
In mid-January, Turkish company Medkon Lines is also planning to resume its connection with Ukraine. This small company, ranked in the bottom half of the top 100, will be the first Turkish linear operator to return to the Ukrainian market.
In May, global container carriers began returning to Ukraine. German carrier Hapag-Lloyd became the first major operator to offer container services to and from Ukraine. Hapag-Lloyd started operating with a Romanian-Ukrainian service managed by Iteris Feeders, a Ukrainian transport and logistics company based in Odessa.
