Our R&D is inventing the transport industry of tomorrow

From the outset, we have always made innovation a central value of the Group and a strategic priority, thanks in particular to an ambitious Research and Development (R&D) program. To support our clients, maintain our leading position in shipping and respond to environmental concerns in a changing world, this approach is more essential than ever and a way of creating value. We have set out a demanding R&D roadmap, with structural advances for the shipping sector. 

Our Journey Toward Carbon Neutrality

Innovation, for a new way of thinking about shipping and logistics

In the majority of their markets, our clients are facing major changes such as new uses and new consumer expectations, new ways of producing and technological breakthroughs, which require new ways of thinking and setting up their logistics and shipping chain. The main focus of our R&D strategy is therefore helping companies to make this transformation by offering innovative products and services that put them one step ahead.

The CMA CGM Group has designed TANGRAM, a stand-out facility with the aim of accelerating innovation and developing skills. Its goal is to transform the shipping and logistics sector so the CMA CGM Group can rise to the key challenges of performance, the energy transition and the development of world trade. These ambitious goals are encapsulated in TANGRAM's "Together, we shape tomorrow" tagline. The facility opened in May 2024 and brings together experts and new arrivals joining the Group, start-ups and large corporations, managers and employees, students and researchers, customers and partners. It was inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Another core target of our R&D strategy is to make ourselves more competitive by making our industrial procedures safer and more efficient. This is, of course, essential in order to maintain our leading position in the fiercely competitive shipping and logistics market. It is also a key way of preparing for the future, by developing and detecting the materials, technologies and equipment that will drive forward the shipping industry of tomorrow.  

Lastly, our Group plays a central role in international trade, which comes with major responsibilities, particularly in terms of reducing our impact on the environment as much as possible. Our R&D policy also addresses this major concern, one of the biggest facing the shipping industry, with the obligation to deliver results in the short term. We are determined to continue to play a pioneering role by opening up new opportunities in this area.

These ambitious goals are encapsulated in TANGRAM's. 

Innovation structured around five main programs 

 

To address these innovation challenges, we have set out a clear and ambitious R&D roadmap. Covering our vessels, our terminals, our warehouses, our depots and associated operations, it is structured around five main programs.

  • Energy Transition: aiming to define and use the cleanest energy possible to power our vessels and other industrial assets
  • Smart Ship: aiming to improve vessels’ operations by analyzing performance data and using tools such as environmental routing.
  • Green Ship should enable us to make our vessels more energy efficient by thinking about new designs, new propellers and new technologies.
  • Green warehousing: we look for the best possible solutions for our warehouses. CEVA Logistics has equipped all its warehouses in the Benelux region to be completely neutral in terms of the energy consumption.
  • Smart Terminal: this program is designed to optimize operations at terminals using the Internet of Things and data analysis.
     

This roadmap and the associated projects are spearheaded by our R&D Department, in partnership with industrial and academic partners and start-ups.

Eco-innovations changing the game in shipping

The scale of environmental concern means that we need to come up with radically new solutions that are effective immediately, in shipping and elsewhere. In this area, we intend to play a pioneering role by capitalizing on our capacity for innovation to support the energy transition in our sector. We intend to find new ways of achieving our target of becoming carbon neutral by 2050. We intend to continue to design and roll out breakthrough eco-innovations, as we have done over the last few years.

 

Reducing the environmental impact of our vessels 

Our R&D is also a powerful driving force for designing more innovative vessels that deliver higher performance, use less energy and emit less carbon dioxide. In 2020, we launched the CMA CGM JACQUES SAADE, the first 23,000 TEU container ship in the world powered by liquefied natural gas, now accompanied by eight similar giant vessels.

We opted for dual fuel gas vessels back in 2017. These ships currently run on LNG and biomethane, allowing for an almost complete reduction in emissions of air pollutants (air quality), the first step in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The engines used in these vessels already have the technical capacity to use e-methane (instead of LNG), a net zero-carbon fuel source. This “e-methane ready” fleet currently comprises 20 ships already in service and will have 44 ships by the end of 2024.

Another example is our partnership with Energy Observer, the world’s first hydrogen vessel. Energy Observer is a true experimental platform for the energies of the future. Our R&D experts and those involved in the project are pooling their skills and know-how in order to roll out hydrogen on a wide scale in our industry. Hydrogen is an inexhaustible energy source that is three times more energy efficient than diesel. Our shared aim is to allow for the emergence of zero-emission shipping.

New generation containers

In terms of our containers, we are the first shipping company to have developed and invested in bamboo flooring. This avoids us having to use wood from primary forests, which is valuable to our ecosystems. Bamboo grows just as quickly as grass and can be cut after four to seven years, compared with 60 years for tropical wood. 25% of our containers already have bamboo floors and this is now the preferred material for our new orders.

Another key area of progress made possible by our R&D is high resistance light steel containers. Just as solid as conventional steel, this innovative material reduces the average weight of a tall container by 550 kg. On a 10,000 TEU vessel, this represents a saving of two tons of fuel per day, with carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 3-6 tons. We are also one of the first shipping companies to have used solvent-free paint for our containers, allowing for a significant reduction in our carbon footprint and air pollution.

Almost all of our refrigerated containers are fitted with low consumption engines, allowing for a reduction of more than 30% in electricity and fuel requirements. This progress has had a real impact, as CMA CGM operates the world’s second-largest refrigerated container fleet. 
 

Digital technology: a driving force for innovation in shipping

In all areas of shipping and logistics, digital innovation allows for unparalleled advances in terms of performance, safety, environment, client experience and more. It has become a major driving force in allowing us to better support our clients and meet their needs, as well as strengthening our leading position and making ourselves more competitive in our markets, and responding to our responsibilities as a civic-minded group. To capitalize on this fully, we have acquired considerable striking power in terms of digital innovation, allowing us to design and adopt tools and solutions offering a high level of added value.

INNOVATION FOR DIGITALIZATION

With more intelligent solutions and intuitive tools being adopted at a more rapid rate, we are now part of a connected world.

ACTING FOR PLANET

Our commitments to sustainable shipping are clear and we mobilize the resources needed to meet this challenge.