CMA CGM & ANL to strengthen South Pacific with the acquisition of SOFRANA Unilines
ANL’s parent, CMA CGM, recently announced an agreement by ANL to purchase the majority share of SOFRANA Unilines, a key player in the Pacific Islands regional maritime trade, the company said in its press release.
SOFRANA Unilines operates directly or in partnership a fleet of 10 vessels on eight trade-lanes, servicing 21 ports in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.
With successful operations in the South Pacific region for almost 50 years, SOFRANA will provide enhanced port coverage to ANL and CMA CGM in this area.
ANL already offers 16 trade lanes servicing major ports throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, North Asia, South East Asia, Indian Subcontinent and North America.
ANL’s extensive reach across Asia, ISC and North America coupled with SOFRANA’s in-depth knowledge of the Pacific islands will provide customers with a new level of service and routing options, all supported by the financial and operational strength of the CMA CGM Group.
SOFRANA ANL will join CMA CGM’s large portfolio of regional experts: OPDR and MacAndrews in Europe, CNC in Asia. In addition, CMA CGM announced in June its project to acquire Mercosul Line to build up its operations in Brazil.
The acquisition of SOFRANA Unilines is expected to be completed by the end of October.
The association of Sofrana and ANL will reflect the shared vision of both shareholders to benefit customers by combining local and regional expertise with the strength of a global shipping group. This will be achieved by combining Sofrana’s South Pacific expertise together with the added value derived from additional routes and the wider scale of ANL and the CMA CGM Group.
Sofrana Unilines is a regional shipping company which has been provided vital shipping links between New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific Islands for almost 50 years. The SOciete FRAncaise de NAvigation had humble beginnings in 1968, shuttling a single small vessel between the French Overseas Territories of New Caledonia and Wallis & Futuna.
Independently or in partnership with other regional lines, Sofrana operates a modern fleet of 10 geared vessels, serving 21 ports in 11 countries. A truly niche operator with a strong and reputable brand, Sofrana offers tailor-made cargo shipping services to a wide range of clients.
