CMA CGM Group Plans $20 Billion Investment in U.S. Maritime and Logistics
CMA CGM Group announced plans for a significant $20 billion investment into the U.S. maritime and logistics sectors expanding on its previous plans to expand its U.S. port terminals and logistics operations. The announcement came as Chairman and CEO of CMA CGM Group Rodolphe Saadé met with President Donald Trump and alluded to U.S. shipbuilding plans.
The French group currently owns seven terminals in the U.S. including in the Port of New York New Jersey and Los Angeles. It also owns APL, the former American President Lines, acquired in the 2016 acquisition of Neptune Orient Lines.
“Over the next four years, we will significantly grow our U.S.-flagged fleet, expand the capacity of key container ports on both coasts, develop state-of-the-art warehousing across the country, and establish a significant air cargo hub in Chicago,” said Saadé. “I am proud to build on our long-standing relationship with the United States through this commitment of $20 billion to the country’s maritime future and logistics capabilities.”
CMA CGM Group said its investments over the next four years would contribute to the development of American maritime capabilities and advance the U.S. administration’s recently announced priority to strengthen American shipbuilding capabilities. CMA CGM highlights it has been servicing U.S. markets for 35 years and reports it handles about 5 million TEU annually in the U.S. out of the 23 million TEU carried globally in 2024.
One element they highlighted would include “bolstering APL’s U.S. flag capacity.” Saadé told Trump the company would like to triple the size of its U.S.-flagged fleet to 30 ships. It was unclear however if these vessels would be used for APL or within the CMA CGM fleet. In 2020, CMA CGM transitioned APL’s express services into the CMA CGM branded operations refocusing APL to a niche operation servicing the United States Government, providing its U.S. flag service, and continuing its service to the Guam-Pacific trade.
???????????????? French shipping magnate Rodolphe Saadé pledges $20bn US expansion
— Karim Emile Bitar (@karimbitar) March 7, 2025
Boss of CMA CGM says expansion will add further 10,000 jobs in UShttps://t.co/a50W0hQt0W
PS. At such a price, we could have also negotiated with Trump to rename the Gulf of America the Gulf of Phoenicia???????????? pic.twitter.com/Ut9c4QTOfx
The company did not detail the proportions of the other investments but reported it would include its terminal and logistics operations and its expanding air cargo business.
The group said it will develop port infrastructure in key locations across the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles, Dutch Harbor, Houston, and Miami to contribute to efficient operations and supply chains. It said the new investments would accelerate digitization, improve connectivity, and increase safety for port workers and cargo.
CMA CGM in 2023 reported plans to invest $600 million after it completed the acquisition of terminals in Bayonne, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York from Global Container Terminals. At the beginning of 2022, CMA CGM also completed the acquisition of Fenix Marine Services (FMS), which operates a terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. It is reported to be the third largest terminal in the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex.
The other planned investments will include improving U.S. logistics and supply chain infrastructure with new warehousing and automotive logistics platforms. As part of this investment, CMA CGM Group will also expand its American air cargo capacity including a new hub in Chicago and deploying five new Boeing 777 freighters. CMA CGM will open a new logistics R&D hub in Boston, focusing on advanced robotics and automation solutions.
The planned U.S. investments are part of a larger overall growth plan for CMA CGM Group. The carrier currently owns over 300 vessels and operates in total more than 650 with reports that it has an additional 94 on order in China and South Korea. The U.S. shipbuilding plan might help to earn some relief from the Trump administration which is reported to be planning fees on carriers calling in the U.S. that build or operate Chinese-built ships. Earlier this week, the carrier was linked to a $2.6 billion order placed with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for a dozen new containerships. The group said in 2023 that it had ordered more than 70 containerships to be built in China.