Alabama State Port Authority, Mobile Container Terminal, LLC Announce Far East Service

May 14, 2010 – Mobile, Ala. – The Alabama State Port Authority and Mobile Container Terminal, LLC announce a new all-water container service between the Port of Mobile and Far East. CMA CGM added the Ports of Mobile and Pusan, Korean to its PEX3 service between the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Asia. CMA CGM, through its division, Terminal Link, is a partner in the 18 month-old Mobile Container Terminal at the Port of Mobile. “With these additional calls to Pusan and Mobile, the Group is now offering excellent port coverage for its customers in South East Asia, South, Centre and North China as well as Korea. Moreover CMA CGM remains the single company offering direct calls between Asia and the Gulf of Mexico with the best transit times on the market”, explains Alain M. Schmid, deputy vice-president North America Lines.

Jimmy Lyons, director and CEO for the Port Authority sees the PEX3 service as significant to southeast U.S. shippers. “This new service offers excellent transit times and helps us grow our business with Korea and China,” noted Lyons. “We are particularly excited at the expanded opportunities CMA CGM brings to our regional exporters that trade in the Far East.

In 2005, CMA CGM’s division Terminal Link, APM Terminals Americas, a subsidiary of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group and Alabama State Port Authority formed a joint venture partnership to construct state-of-the-art, $300 million container terminal at the Port of Mobile. CMA CGM, a 20% partner in the venture, along with APM Terminals Americas formed a terminal operating company, Mobile Container Terminal LLC, and opened Mobile Container Terminal (MCT) in October 2008 just as the global container market begin its drastic downturn in business. Despite the downturn, MCT was able to maintain volumes and add new service calls to Northern Europe and Latin America. Brian Clark, director of the new container terminal, noted the significance of CMA CGM’s Asian service to his growing business. “Not only does the CMA CGM PEX3 Service offer a direct call from Asia to MCT, it also opens up new opportunities with service to the Mediterranean, African and Middle East markets where there were none previously from our port.”

The new PEX3 rotation will be as follows: Singapore / Hong Kong / Chiwan / Shanghai / Pusan / Panama Canal / Manzanillo / Houston / Mobile / Miami / Jacksonville / Savannah / Charleston / Tangiers / Jebel Ali / Singapore.

The Port of Mobile is the 9th largest U.S. seaport in total volume. The Alabama State Port Authority, headquartered in Mobile, Ala., owns and operates the State of Alabama’s deepwater port facilities. The Authority’s container, general cargo, bulk, and heavy lift terminals have immediate access to two interstate systems, five Class 1 railroads, four-day rail service to Mexico and nearly 15,000 miles of inland waterway connections. To learn more, log onto www.asdd.com.

Mobile Container Terminal is a 95 acre marine terminal offering short steam times from the Gulf as well as direct access to two interstate highways. Supported by an automated gate using the latest technology and trucker appointment system, truck turntimes have averaged below 30 minutes since the terminal opening. While continually improving, vessel production currently averages 35.0 moves per hour further reducing the port stay for vessels. To learn more, log onto www.mobilecontainerterminal.us.