Posted on May 28, 2025
CMA CGM is strengthening its presence in Vietnam as the southeast Asian country stands to gain a more pivotal role in the global supply chain.
The container shipping giant is investing $600 million to build a deep-water terminal complex at Hai Phong Port, which would be CMA CGM’s first docking facility in one of Vietnam’s northern ports.
CMA CGM has partnered with Saigon Newport Corporation to develop the project, which will have a capacity of 1.9 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and is scheduled to open in 2028. The agreement covers the design, construction and operation of two terminals in Hai Phong’s Lach Huyen area.
Vietnam has had more of a spotlight on its role in the apparel supply chain, both as the country seeks to negotiate its way out of a possible 46-percent tariff imposed by President Donald Trump, as well as handling an influx of goods from China.
With imports from China escalating 22.5 percent in April and exports to the U.S. growing 34 percent, Vietnam’s position is likely to carry more intrigue for logistics and shipping companies seeking to expand into new markets.
“The project is designed to meet the sharp increase in container volumes in northern Vietnam—one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economic zones,” CMA CGM said in a statement. “This partnership will enable CMA CGM to secure long-term capacity in a region that has become central to Asian supply chains due to its rapid industrial and logistics development.”
The facility will complement the two other terminals owned by CMA CGM: the Gemalink terminal in Cai Mep and the Vietnam International Container Terminal in Ho Chi Minh City. The ocean carrier operates 29 weekly services across seven ports in the country, as well as the company’s intermodal network powered by subsidiary Ceva Logistics.
Vietnam is also the backdrop of a zero-emission project CMA CGM is engaging in with partner Nike. By 2026, CMA CGM will launch a 100-percent electric barge, or “e barge,” that will transport Nike goods along southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai River between the Cai Mep and Binh Duong ports.
On Tuesday, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha held a meeting with CMA CGM CEO Rodolphe Saadé, according to a report from state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA), in which the representative encouraged the French shipping tycoon to lead the way in green maritime transformation.
Recently, CMA CGM has shown little hesitation to throw around capital to expand its influence internationally.
In March, Saadé said the company was committing $20 billion to investing in logistics, shipbuilding and supply chain upgrades in the U.S. Under that commitment, the carrier will triple its number of U.S.-flagged ships, as the Trump administration and bipartisan lawmakers have pushed for a reinvigoration of American shipbuilding.
Last month, Ceva Logistics acquired Turkish contract logistics and trucking firm Borusan Tedarik for roughly $440 million.
That deal, which still needs approval from regulators, includes Borusan Tedarik’s subsidiaries in Germany, Bulgaria, Hong Kong and China.
Borusan Tedarik operates the largest port in Turkey’s manufacturing hub of Gemlik, with an annual capacity to handle 1,500 ships and around 400,000 TEUs. The planned acquisitions would nearly double Ceva’s warehousing and distribution footprint in Turkey, adding around 6.1 million square feet to its existing 6.7 million square feet of space.
In addition, the combined ground transport activities would make nearly 1 million domestic transports per year, while Ceva’s ocean freight capacity in the country set to increase by 25 percent.
Last month, CMA CGM also completed the acquisition of cargo airline Air Belgium, including four freighter planes, as the company further builds out its air cargo ambitions.
The Air Belgium brand will be preserved as part of the CMA CGM air cargo division launched in 2021, alongside 124 direct jobs out of roughly 400, including 72 pilot roles.
Currently, the division operates regular services out of Paris with two Boeing 777F aircraft to Hong Kong and Shanghai and one Airbus A330F to Zhengzhou. CMA CGM also established another air freight hub in Chicago that hosts two Boeing 777F aircraft operated by Atlas Air on routes to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul.
CMA CGM operates an air cargo fleet of nine aircraft, including the Air Belgium jets: four Boeing 777Fs, three Airbus A330Fs and two Boeing 747Fs. The fleet will soon be reinforced by an additional Boeing 777F and further expanded from 2027 onward with the arrival of eight Airbus A350Fs.
“It immediately strengthens our air capacity while addressing current logistical challenges,” Damien Mazaudier, executive vice president of the air division at CMA CGM Group, in a statement. “By preserving skilled jobs and accelerating the development of our network, this operation demonstrates our commitment to our customers and our ability to anticipate market evolutions.”
Air Belgium’s passenger operations will dissolve upon the sale.
