CMA CGM has modified its Odessa Express service, originally launched in December 2024, by removing Piraeus from the rotation.
As a result, one vessel has been withdrawn from the loop, and the service will now operate with a single 1,100 TEU vessel shuttling between Istanbul (Ambarli) and Odessa every nine days.
In parallel, Arkas is introducing new coverage to Chornomorsk from Istanbul (Ambarli) through slot arrangements on Iteris Feeders, branding the route as the Ukraine Express Service (UEX). This service is operated by a single 380 TEU vessel.
At present, four services are active in the Ukraine trade, with service frequencies ranging from weekly to once every ten days, and ship capacities varying between 350 TEU and 1,400 TEU. These services involve four vessel operators and four slot charterers.
Two of the services call at Odessa, while the remaining two serve Chornomorsk. On the other end of the route, one service departs from Port Said, and the other three operate out of Istanbul, with one of them also covering Izmit.
The active services are as follows: CMA CGM’s ODX operates on a nine-day loop with a single 1,100 TEU ship between Istanbul and Odessa. Iteris Feeders, with slot charters by Hapag-Lloyd, Cosco Shipping Lines, and Arkas, runs a 10-day service using one 380 TEU vessel between Istanbul and Chornomorsk.
Medkon Lines’ BSE service runs weekly using a 350 TEU vessel calling Izmit (Gebze), Istanbul (Ambarli), Constanta, and Odessa.
Lastly, Unimed’s Egypt-Ukraine service, with Maersk as a slot charterer, operates weekly using two vessels averaging 1,400 TEU, connecting Port Said and Chornomorsk.
