CMA CGM Group, a global player in maritime, land, air and logistics solutions, welcomes the maiden call of Ocean Rise Express (OCR), a new weekly service connecting Japan directly with Northern Europe, at the Port of Kobe today. This latest move reinforces the group’s ongoing commitment to enhancing supply chain resilience in Japan and expanding access to global markets.
Direct communication from Japan to Northern Europe with OCR service
Ocean Rise Express provides shippers with a direct connection from Japan to key Northern European gateways, offering the best transit times on the market and improved schedule reliability. Goods are expected to arrive from Yokohama to Rotterdam in 38 days, Hamburg in 41 days, and Southampton in 45 days. Powered entirely by CMA CGM, OCR helps speed up delivery of goods and improve shippers’ time to market – at a time when supply chain predictability is more important than ever.
Today’s opening call was made by CMA CGM TOSCA, an 8,000 TEU vessel. The ship will then stop in Nagoya and Yokohama in Japan, followed by Xiamen and Yantian in China, before heading to Northern Europe.
OCR rotation: Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Xiamen – Yantian – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Nansha – Kobe.
Connecting Japan to the West Coast of the United States through enhanced EX1 service
In addition, CMA CGM is also enhancing its Eagle Express 1 (EX1) service, enhancing Japan’s connectivity to the US West Coast through improved port coverage and competitive transit times.
This American flag service with weekly departures supports optimal frequency and reliability.
EX1 will include additional port calls in Japan – Kobe, Nagoya and Yokohama. Goods from these ports will arrive in Los Angeles in 16 days, 14 days and 12 days, respectively. Thanks to the optimized network design, shippers benefit from fast, reliable transit to the US West Coast, and a more flexible supply chain supported by CMA CGM’s strategic terminal presence in Los Angeles (FMS), Busan (BNC) and Yokohama (Honmoku D5).
The weekly service will begin sailing from Kobe Port on May 5, 2026, with the following rotation:
EX1 rotation: Qingdao – Busan – Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Los Angeles – Auckland – Yokohama – Naha – Busan – Qingdao.
Hideki Uchida, Representative Director and President of CMA CGM Japan, said: “We are delighted to welcome the maiden call of Ocean Rise Express in Kobe today. This new service reaffirms the strategic importance of Japan within the global CMA CGM network, enhancing connectivity between Asia and Europe while providing greater value and schedule reliability to our customers in Japan. The improvements to Eagle Express 1 further strengthen connectivity between Asia and the US, reflecting our priority of providing just-in-time shipping solutions and our ongoing commitment to reliability and service excellence.”
CMA CGM in Japan
CMA CGM has been present in Japan since 2007, operating 15 services across 14 ports, supported by 5 offices and approximately 200 employees, providing comprehensive maritime connectivity linking Japan to key global markets. Through its logistics arm, CEVA Logistics, CMA CGM Group also provides comprehensive, end-to-end logistics solutions across the country, further strengthening its integrated supply chain offering.
Source: CMA CGM
