During a trip to Martinique and Guadeloupe, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, announced the rollout of seven new container ships powered by biogas to enhance and modernize services to the French West Indies.
A new series of seven container ships to enhance services to the French West Indies, according to the company's release.
Delivered gradually as of 2024, the seven new container ships – four 7,300 TEU vessels and three 7,900 TEU vessels, each with 1,385 Reefer plugs – will serve Guadeloupe and Martinique, significantly increasing services to the two islands, while also maintaining the same service standards, reliability and regularity. They will replace smaller ships dedicated to routes between the French West Indies, France and Europe.
In order to cope with these larger capacity vessels, the CMA CGM Group will help to modernize and increase the capacity of the biggest shipping ports in Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as making wharfs larger. Fort de France and Pointe à Pitre, central hubs of the Caribbean and South America, will be the starting point for transshipments to Guyana, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy and northeast Brazil.
CMA CGM transports 100% of bananas from the French West Indies to France. It operates dedicated shipping lines to Guadeloupe and Martinique and is involved in structural actions to help boost the local economy and make it more attractive.