CMA CGM Welcomes Maiden Call of New Ocean Rise Express Service at Port of Kobe
CMA CGM's new Ocean Rise Express (OCR) direct service connecting Japan and Europe made its maiden call at Kobe. The EX1 service to the US West Coast is also being enhanced.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 08:55
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 01:00
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 21, 2026 at 04:34 (435h 34m after Collected)
Kobe = April 2, 2026
The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, today welcomed the maiden call of the new weekly service Ocean Rise Express (OCR), connecting Japan and Europe directly, at the Port of Kobe.
This initiative reaffirms the Group's ongoing commitment to strengthening the resilience of Japan's supply chain and expanding access to global markets.
## OCR Service Connecting Japan and Europe Directly
The Ocean Rise Express (OCR) offers shippers direct sailings between major ports in Japan and Europe, achieving market-leading transit times and high schedule reliability. Cargo departing from Yokohama is scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam in 38 days, Hamburg in 41 days, and Southampton in 45 days. Operated by CMA CGM, the OCR accelerates cargo arrival and helps reduce shippers' time-to-market. At a time when supply chain predictability is more critical than ever, this value represents a significant competitive advantage.
Today's maiden call was made by the 8,000-TEU vessel CMA CGM TOSCA. This vessel will proceed to call at Nagoya and Yokohama in Japan before heading to Europe via Xiamen and Yantian in China.
The OCR rotation is as follows:
Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Xiamen – Yantian – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Nansha – Kobe
## Connecting Japan and the US West Coast through the Enhanced EX1 Service
Furthermore, CMA CGM is enhancing the Eagle Express 1 (EX1) service to further improve connectivity between Japan and the US West Coast through expanded port calls and competitive transit times. This will further strengthen convenience and competitiveness for transport from Japan to the North American West Coast.
The service will be operated as a weekly US Flag service, achieving optimized frequency and high reliability. The EX1 service adds Kobe, Nagoya, and Yokohama as new port calls in Japan. Cargo from these ports will arrive in Los Angeles in 16, 14, and 12 days, respectively.
The improved network design allows shippers to enjoy fast and stable transit times to the North American West Coast and build more resilient supply chains utilizing CMA CGM's strategic terminal hubs deployed in Los Angeles (FMS), Busan (BNC), and Yokohama (Honmoku D5).
This weekly service will commence with the vessel departing the Port of Kobe on May 5, 2026, with the following rotation:
EX1 Rotation: Qingdao – Busan – Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Los Angeles – Oakland – Yokohama – Naha – Busan – Qingdao
Hideki Uchida, President of CMA CGM Japan K.K., stated:
"We are highly pleased to welcome the maiden call of the Ocean Rise Express at the Port of Kobe today. The launch of this service reaffirms Japan's strategic importance within CMA CGM's global network, enhancing connectivity between Asia and Europe while providing further value and high schedule reliability to our customers in Japan.
Moreover, the enhancement of Eagle Express 1 further improves connectivity between Asia and the US, reflecting our top priority of providing timely transport solutions and our continuous commitment to reliability and service quality."
The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, today welcomed the maiden call of the new weekly service Ocean Rise Express (OCR), connecting Japan and Europe directly, at the Port of Kobe.
This initiative reaffirms the Group's ongoing commitment to strengthening the resilience of Japan's supply chain and expanding access to global markets.
## OCR Service Connecting Japan and Europe Directly
The Ocean Rise Express (OCR) offers shippers direct sailings between major ports in Japan and Europe, achieving market-leading transit times and high schedule reliability. Cargo departing from Yokohama is scheduled to arrive in Rotterdam in 38 days, Hamburg in 41 days, and Southampton in 45 days. Operated by CMA CGM, the OCR accelerates cargo arrival and helps reduce shippers' time-to-market. At a time when supply chain predictability is more critical than ever, this value represents a significant competitive advantage.
Today's maiden call was made by the 8,000-TEU vessel CMA CGM TOSCA. This vessel will proceed to call at Nagoya and Yokohama in Japan before heading to Europe via Xiamen and Yantian in China.
The OCR rotation is as follows:
Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Xiamen – Yantian – Rotterdam – Hamburg – Southampton – Nansha – Kobe
## Connecting Japan and the US West Coast through the Enhanced EX1 Service
Furthermore, CMA CGM is enhancing the Eagle Express 1 (EX1) service to further improve connectivity between Japan and the US West Coast through expanded port calls and competitive transit times. This will further strengthen convenience and competitiveness for transport from Japan to the North American West Coast.
The service will be operated as a weekly US Flag service, achieving optimized frequency and high reliability. The EX1 service adds Kobe, Nagoya, and Yokohama as new port calls in Japan. Cargo from these ports will arrive in Los Angeles in 16, 14, and 12 days, respectively.
The improved network design allows shippers to enjoy fast and stable transit times to the North American West Coast and build more resilient supply chains utilizing CMA CGM's strategic terminal hubs deployed in Los Angeles (FMS), Busan (BNC), and Yokohama (Honmoku D5).
This weekly service will commence with the vessel departing the Port of Kobe on May 5, 2026, with the following rotation:
EX1 Rotation: Qingdao – Busan – Kobe – Nagoya – Yokohama – Los Angeles – Oakland – Yokohama – Naha – Busan – Qingdao
Hideki Uchida, President of CMA CGM Japan K.K., stated:
"We are highly pleased to welcome the maiden call of the Ocean Rise Express at the Port of Kobe today. The launch of this service reaffirms Japan's strategic importance within CMA CGM's global network, enhancing connectivity between Asia and Europe while providing further value and high schedule reliability to our customers in Japan.
Moreover, the enhancement of Eagle Express 1 further improves connectivity between Asia and the US, reflecting our top priority of providing timely transport solutions and our continuous commitment to reliability and service quality."