The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, and China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC), one of the world's leading infrastructure groups, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening their cooperation across port infrastructure, logistics and transport services, innovation, and the energy transition.

The MOU was signed by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, and Zhang Bingnat, President of CCCC.

The agreement establishes a framework for the two groups to explore joint opportunities by combining CCCC's expertise in the development and construction of major infrastructure projects with CMA CGM's global shipping network and its expertise in port terminals, end-to-end logistics, and maritime transportation solutions. Cooperation will focus primarily on opportunities in Africa, China and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. These are regions where port capacity, hinterland connections, and logistics infrastructure are widely viewed as constraints on trade growth, and where infrastructure investment has become a central pillar of economic development strategies.

Developing integrated supply chain and infrastructure solutions

Under the MOU, CMA CGM and CCCC intend to explore opportunities to jointly develop and combine CCCC's infrastructure development and construction projects with CMA CGM's operational expertise in logistics and transportation.

The partnership will also explore opportunities to strengthen connectivity between ports and their hinterlands through sustainable multimodal logistics infrastructure, including logistics corridors, dry ports, container depots, warehouses, and logistics platforms. Improving hinterland connections is a longstanding challenge in emerging markets, where cargo often faces bottlenecks moving between seaports and inland destinations.

The two groups also intend to explore opportunities for CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics to provide shipping and project logistics solutions in support of CCCC's major international infrastructure projects.

Building on a longstanding partnership

The MOU builds on an established relationship between CMA CGM and CCCC, notably through CCCC subsidiaries such as China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).

CHEC is already a partner of CMA CGM in several strategic port projects. At Lekki Freeport Terminal in Nigeria, CMA Terminals and CHEC are partners in the container terminal, while at Kribi Container Terminal in Cameroon, the two companies are contributing to the development of a strategic gateway for Central African trade. Lekki, which began operations in 2023, was Nigeria's first deepwater port, while Kribi serves as a key access point for landlocked Central African economies.

Since establishing cooperation with CMA CGM in 2004, ZPMC has deployed port machinery at many key strategic ports worldwide. ZPMC, based in Shanghai, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of port cranes and terminal equipment. As CMA CGM advances its global expansion, ZPMC will take an even more active role in CMA CGM's development, providing services characterized by high efficiency, superior quality, and excellence.

Accelerating innovation and the energy transition

Innovation and decarbonization will also be key areas of cooperation. CMA CGM and CCCC intend to explore the deployment of digital and artificial intelligence solutions to support increasingly automated and efficient port terminals and inland logistics platforms.

The two groups will also explore opportunities to develop lower-carbon port and supply chain solutions, including renewable energy projects and infrastructure supporting the use of alternative fuels for ships, barges, trains, and port equipment. Shipping faces tightening international emissions requirements, including greenhouse gas reduction measures adopted by the International Maritime Organization, which have made alternative-fuel infrastructure a priority for carriers and port operators alike.

These areas of cooperation are aligned with CMA CGM's ambition to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050 and its broader strategy to build more efficient, resilient, and sustainable global supply chains. As an MOU, the agreement sets out areas for exploration rather than binding commitments, and concrete joint projects under the framework would be expected to be announced as they are defined.

Source: CMA CGM