The CMA CGM GROUP: Highlights of 2018

The first ship of an order for three 20,600 TEU-container ships, the CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERY became on January 26th the world’s biggest container ship flying the French flag. A technologically-advanced ship designed for the protection of the environment and featuring exceptional dimensions, this vessel is a strong symbol of the Group’s dynamism and development. The CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERY entered into service on February 6th on the FAL 1 line (French Asia Line 1), the longest sea route in the world which connects Asia to Northern Europe.

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The CMA CGM ANTOINE DE SAINT EXUPERY was inaugurated on September 6th by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance, and Elisabeth Borne, Minister in charge of Transports.

On the sidelines of this ceremony, Rodolphe Saadé and Christophe Lecourtier signed a convention between CMA CGM and Business France to identify, support and promote French SMEs in the fields of transports, logistics, mobility and industry in their international expansion.

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On the occasion of the start of commercial operations at the Kribi Container Terminal, of which CMA CGM is an operator, the 8,721-TEUs, 335 meters-long CMA CGM BIANCA became the largest container ship to call in Cameroon. With the launch of four weekly direct services to Kribi, CMA CGM intends to turn Kribi into a major hub in West Africa, opening up multimodal opportunities for the entire region.

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CMA CGM and Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise announced in April they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, whereby CMA CGM will be responsible for marketing, operations and maintenance of the container terminal at the Lekki Deep Sea Port. Upon completion in 2020, Lekki Port will be Nigeria’s first deep sea port and Sub-Saharan Africa’s deepest port. Currently the second largest shipping company in Nigeria and on the African market, the CMA CGM Group asserts with this strategic choice its intention to support the emergence of Africa’s largest economy and West Africa’s first consumer market.

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Finally, the CMA CGM Group took in July a 10% stake in CSP Zeebrugge Terminal, of which it is the major client. This acquisition aims at fostering the development of the terminal as a major hub port in Northwestern Europe. Strategically positioned, the Port of Zeebrugge is a transportation hub for traffic everywhere in the world. Moreover, Zeebrugge is easily connected to other European countries through a dense network of road and rail connections, offering the CMA CGM Group’s customers many opportunities.

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CMA CGM launched in April Ocean Alliance Day Two Product, for which the Group deploys 122 ships on 41 services. Combining this reinforced offer of maritime services with a global and intermodal logistics offer as well as with a wide range of high value-added services, CMA CGM keeps on offering its customers tailored, ever more competitive solutions.

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Jacques R. Saadé, Founding President of the CMA CGM Group, died on June 24th at the age of 81. Jacques R. Saadé dedicated his life to CMA CGM. An extraordinary visionary and entrepreneur, he made the Group into a world leader in the maritime transport of containers, developing the company in more than 160 countries, while maintaining the family dimension with its values.

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An exceptional tribunate was paid to Jacques R. Saadé during his funeral on June 29th in Marseilles, in the presence of Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, of Mrs. Elisabeth Borne, Minister in charge of Transports, of Mr. Michel Pharaon, representing Lebanese President General Michel Aoun, and of numerous local, national and international officials. In honor of its Founding President, five CMA CMG Group vessels anchored in the Bay of Marseilles. As a sign of tribute and respect, all CMA CGM Group’s vessels worldwide sounded their horns at 12pm French time, as did all ships present in French ports.

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On July 26th occurred the steel cutting of the first of the nine future 22,000-EVP container ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) ordered by CMA CGM in November 2017. This significant event was a major symbolic step on the path to the energy transition of the maritime sector, of which the Group is a leader.

On December 11th, the Group received the Environment Award at the prestigious Lloyd’s List Global Awards, held by the maritime industry’s leading publication. This Prize rewards the actions the CMA CGM Group has been carrying out for several years to reduce its environmental footprint as well as its pioneering choice to power its future vessels with LNG.

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In 2018, the Group was also awarded the “Gold Recognition Level” for the fourth consecutive year by ratings agency EcoVadis, which is specialized in evaluating Corporate Social Responsibility, particularly through the prism of environmental protection. CMA CGM thus ranks among the top 1% most responsible companies in its sector, which underlines its strong environmental commitment.

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On September 13th, 1978, Jacques R. Saadé launched the first maritime line between Marseilles and Beirut, with only one ship and 4 employees. This day marked the beginning of an extraordinary humane and entrepreneurial adventure. 40 years later, CMA CGM has become a recognized world leader, with 37,000 employees and a presence in more than 160 countries. Today headed by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group pursues its development while remaining committed to its strong humane and family values.

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Initiated by CMA CGM, ZeBox aims to become a world reference in innovation by:

• Supporting the development of start-ups specialized in the fields of transport, logistics, 4.0 industry, artificial intelligence and robotics;
• Enabling large companies to benefit from the innovations developed by these start-ups in their respective business sectors.

ZeBox can house 15 start-ups for a 12 to 18-month incubation program. In addition, a fast-track program can support 8 start-ups over a period of 6 to 8 months. Start-ups housed by ZeBox benefit from a strong network of partners as in major French and international companies from different and complementary backgrounds such as CMA CGM, Accenture, BNP Paribas, Centrimex and EY. Among the start-ups which have already benefited from this support are Smart Sailors and Sail Eazy, which are from the Marseilles region, as well as Trend (Lebanon) and Transpare (Morocco).

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CMA CGM finalized on October 31st the acquisition of Containerships (Finland), a container transportation and logistics company specialized in the intra-European market, all modes of transportation combined (ships, trucks, trains and barges). Present in the Baltic markets, Russia, Northern Europe, North Africa and Turkey, Containerships thus provides a complementary service offer to that of CMA CGM and its subsidiary MacAndrews in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. With this acquisition, the Group pursues its strategy aimed at densifying its regional network.

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On December 12th, Containerships took delivery of its first LNG-powered container ship, the CONTAINERSHIPS NORD, which thereby became the first CMA CGM Group vessel using this type of fuel. The 1,400-TEU CONTAINERSHIPS NORD is the first of an order for four container ships, with the following vessels scheduled for delivery in the first half of 2019. Containerships also has a fleet of LNG-powered trucks, thereby enabling the CMA CGM Group to offer LNG throughout the transport cycle.

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Naïla Saadé, President of the CMA CGM Foundation, accompanied by Martine Vassal, President of the Departmental Council of the Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Aix-Marseilles-Provence Metropolis and sponsor of this edition, handed over on November 29th the CMA CGM Corporate Foundation 2018 Prize to Ecole des XV. This NGO, created in 2014 by Denis Philippon, Chief Executive Officer of the Voyage Privé Group, acts against school dropout and school failure of children from Marseilles’ and Aix-en-Provence’s underprivileged backgrounds by offering them an extracurricular program which combines tutoring and rugby sessions.

On this occasion, the President of the CMA CGM Corporate Foundation announced the launch of its 7th call for proposals. An exceptional budget of 180,000 euros will be divided between projects in France (exclusively in the PACA region) and in Lebanon, working on the theme of: “Promoting access to education for vulnerable children”.

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Additionally, as part of its 2018 call for proposals on the theme of “Promoting equal opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds”, the CMA CGM Foundation selected this year 16 French and Lebanese NGOs. Due to the high number of applications received, the Foundation decided to rise the global subsidies envelope from 160,000€ to 220,000€.

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CMA CGM unveiled in June its collaboration with Shone, a San-Francisco based start-up founded by three French engineers and specialized in the use of artificial intelligence for maritime transportation. This collaboration allows Shone to access CMA CGM Group vessels to finalize the development of artificial intelligence systems on board container ships. Once the development is finalized, this innovation will facilitate the work of crews on board, whether in decision support, maritime safety or piloting assistance. This collaboration is fully in line with the Group's strategy of innovation at the service of digital transformation.

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CMA CGM announced in December that the Group had become the first ocean carrier listed on Freightos, a website allowing for online booking, at guaranteed pricing and secured capacity. This offer is initially limited to China-US trade lanes, with further extension to additional lanes planned in the near future. This represents a significant innovation for CMA CGM, which thereby pursues its digital transformation and reasserts its “Customer Centricity” strategy.

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