[051115.EN.SEA] CMA CGM Suspends Burundi Service Due To Heavy Fighting

FRENCH shipping line and logistics operator CMA CGM has suspended its Burundi service due to the worsening security situation in Bujumbura and in a number of other provinces that has made the Dar-es-Salaam-Bujumbura corridor unsafe.

The container line said that social unrest had further escalated in Burundi last week, and the security situation in Bujumbura and in number of provinces was "seriously deteriorating", according to Lloyd's Loading List.

It noted last week that all of the northern zones of Bujumbura were under heavy fighting, and the National Road RN 1, the main corridor to Bujumbura, was no longer safe.

Cities located northwest of Tanzania near the Burundi border such as Kabanga, Ngara, Kahama, and Karagwe, and the Kigoma corridor, were also on high alert with ongoing riots last week, CMA CGM noted.

CMA CGM has informed customers that with immediate effect, no booking would be accepted to Bujumbura until further notice.

As to current shipments at sea or at the Dar-es-Salaam gateway, it said: "CMA CGM cannot guarantee the carrier haulage at final destination", but said it would keep customers informed as soon as the Dar-es-Salaam-Bujumbura corridor was safe again, "allowing us to resume our TBL service to this destination".

Source : HKSG.