ZIM is adding Houston to its Venezuela Line (VEL), creating a direct connection between the United States and the North Coast of South America, according to DynaLiners.

The adjustment tightens the loop at the other end as well: the carrier will remove the second Puerto Cabello call from the service, trimming a repeat Venezuelan port visit from the schedule.

What does the new VEL rotation look like?

The revised port order is:

• Houston
• Kingston
• La Guaira
• Guanta
• Georgetown
• Puerto Cabello
• Kingston
• Houston

The revised ZIM VEL service will connect the US Gulf directly with Jamaica, Venezuela and Guyana, replacing the previous pattern in which the string called Puerto Cabello twice per loop.

Why does a Houston call matter for shippers?

The move puts a US Gulf gateway at the head of the rotation, giving Texas-based shippers a direct, dedicated sailing into the Caribbean and the North Coast of South America rather than routing via transshipment. Houston becomes the sole US call on the loop.

For cargo moving between the US Gulf and Venezuela's La Guaira, Guanta and Puerto Cabello, the change shortens the transit chain to a single-service connection. Guyana's Georgetown also gains a direct link to the US Gulf, alongside the existing Kingston calls that bookend the rotation on each transits through Jamaica.

For ZIM, the recalibration is a classic slot-allocation trade-off. Dropping the duplicate Puerto Cabello call frees schedule time and capacity, which the carrier has redirected toward a fresh origin market in Houston. Carriers typically make such swaps when they see stronger commercial demand in a new lane than in a second call at an existing port — a signal that ZIM values US Gulf cargo over incremental Venezuelan volume on this string.

Forwarders with book-of-business between the Gulf and the Caribbean basin gain a direct routing option, which can reduce reliance on transshipment hubs and cut the dwell time and handling exposure that come with an intermediate port move.

What changes for Puerto Cabello?

Puerto Cabello keeps its place on the loop — but as a single call rather than two. Shippers using the Venezuelan port retain direct service to Kingston, Houston and the other VEL ports, though the frequency of sailings touching the port per loop effectively halves for cargo that previously matched either call.

The rotation retains Kingston as the pivot on both legs of the voyage, positioning the Jamaican hub as the service's relay point for onward connections.

What comes next?

The revised rotation, as reported by DynaLiners, signals ZIM's intent to grow US Gulf-origin cargo on the trade. Whether further VEL adjustments follow will depend on how demand between Houston, Venezuela and Guyana responds to the new direct connection.