By: Reuters

A new direct shipping service linking Asia to West Africa has begun operations at Ivory Coast's Port of Abidjan, making its first regional call on the West Africa Express (WAX) service, and cutting transit times by more than nine days.

The CMA CGM Christophe Colomb, a container ship with a capacity of 13,800 TEU, arrived at the Ivorian port as part of the French shipping group's West Africa Express (WAX) service, which connects Asian markets directly to the West African coast.

The new route reduces shipping time from Colombo, Sri Lanka, to Abidjan to 17 days, down from 26 days previously, according to Alae Rahmoune, managing director for Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso at CMA CGM.

"This gives our importers and operators significant logistical competitiveness, as well as strong access to the international market," Rahmoune said at the port. "They will now manage and optimize their inventory better, manage their supply chain better, and of course accelerate trade flows."

The vessel arrived at full capacity, carrying industrial equipment, manufactured goods, electronics and consumer products from Asia, Captain Antonel Mardunovic said.

The service also aims to boost Ivorian exports to Asia. Ivory Coast is among the world's leading producers of cocoa, cashew nuts, rubber and cotton.

After Abidjan, the ship continues to Lekki in Nigeria and Kribi in Cameroon before making the 17 to 18-day return journey to Asia via Colombo and Singapore.

A complete rotation takes nearly three months.

Much of the trade destined for landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger transits through Abidjan, making the port a critical gateway for the sub-region.

(Production: Media Coulibaly, Angela Ukomadu)