Rodolphe Saadé initiates an international coalition for the energy of tomorrow
On the occasion of the French Maritime Economy Conference, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, recommended that French President Emmanuel Macron initiate an international coalition for the energy transition of the transportation sector whose priority will be to develop a more competitive and less carbon-intensive energy source, CMA CGM said in its release.
Rodolphe Saadé also announced the choice of Marseille-Fos as a strategic hub in the Mediterranean for the supply of LNG for its future 15,000-TEU vessels. Finally, he shared with the French President his views of the future of the maritime industry.
Following on the CMA CGM Group’s pioneering commitments to emergent alternative energy solutions, Rodolphe Saadé stressed the need to improve the cooperation of all those working on near-term solutions to replace fossil fuels in the transportation and logistics sectors.
The French President accepted to actively support this initiative, whose first forum could be held on the occasion of the World Conservation Congress which will be organized in Marseille in June 2020.
Formalized during the French Maritime Economy Conference, the “Eco-Energetic Transition of the Maritime Sector” project, led by the French Maritime Cluster, the ADEME (French Environment & Energy Management Agency), Bureau Veritas and CMA CGM, is a first step towards this future international partnership. The aim is to carry out an inventory of available technologies and new developments in ship propulsion. The data collected will help guide and structure future work.
Rodolphe Saadé also highlighted the Group’s long-standing commitment to the emergence of an eco-responsible shipping ecosystem:
In 2017, the Group became the first in the world to order LNG-powered 23,000-TEU ultra-large container vessels. The first of these, the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, was launched in September 2019 and will make an exceptional call to Marseille in June 2020;
CMA CGM was the first shipping company to decide not to use the Northern Sea Route. Since then, many carriers have followed this major decision to protect the Arctic environment and its exceptional biodiversity;
For over ten years, the Group has significantly reduced the speed of its vessels.
Finally, during his speech, Rodolphe Saadé shared his vision of the future of the maritime industry, with a focus on:
LOGISTICS: in 2019, CMA CGM completed the acquisition of CEVA Logistics, a major global logistics player. Rodolphe Saadé decided to transfer CEVA Logistics’ headquarters to Marseille, near CMA CGM’s global head office. More than 200 jobs being created in Marseille.
DIGITIZATION: the Group has proceeded with its digital transformation in order to differentiate itself from its competitors, to better serve its customers and to improve its performance. CMA CGM is thus carrying out numerous projects in the fields of blockchain, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.
During his discussions with the French President, RODOLPHE SAADÉ, CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE CMA CGM GROUP, declared: “With the choice of liquefied natural gas, the CMA CGM Group is a pioneer in the energy transition of the maritime industry. To meet the challenges ahead, we must go even further and work together: maritime, air and land carriers, logisticians, energy companies and motorists, in Europe and around the world. With the support of the French President, France will launch a major global coalition for the energy of tomorrow.”
ABOUT CMA CGM
Led by RODOLPHE SAADÉ, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics. Its 506 vessels serve more than 420 ports on five continents around the world and carried nearly 21 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in 2018. With CEVA, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handled more than 500,000 tons of airfreight and 1.9 million tons of inland freight in 2018. CMA CGM is constantly innovating to offer customers new maritime, inland and logistics solutions. Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of 755 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 in Marseille where its head office is located.
