CMA CGM to operate and manage the Port of Alexandria’s future terminal

During his trip to Egypt, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, was received at the Presidential Palace of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Heliopolis. On this occasion, he met with the Egyptian President, Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, the Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, and the Minister of Transport Minister, Kamel El-Wazir.

 

The Egyptian authorities have confirmed their intention to enter into a long-term partnership with CMA CGM for the operation and management of Pier 55, the Port of Alexandria’s upcoming multi-purpose terminal. Operations are scheduled to start in 2022.

 

A strategic choice for the development of CMA CGM’s operations in Egypt 

The choice of the Port of Alexandria’s new Pier 55 terminal is fully in line with the Group’s development strategy in Egypt. This project will strengthen CMA CGM’s service offerings in the fields of maritime transport and logistics, in a country that boasts a strong economic potential. 

 

The terminal, which covers an area of 560,000 square meters with quays of over 2 km in length, will have a capacity of around 1,5 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units) and will facilitate the deployment of the Group’s larger vessels.

 

Through this ambitious partnership, the terminal will connect Egypt to new regions and boost CMA CGM’s presence in the Mediterranean.

 

This partnership will also include the development of logistics solutions digitalization, the contribution to the training of younger generations in maritime and logistics, as well as other investments. 

 

CMA CGM Group, a major contributor to Egypt’s maritime and logistics development 

Egypt, a country in which CMA CGM has been present since 1995, is strategic for the Group’s development, particularly due to its role as a crossroads for trade between Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean Basin and Europe, at the junction of the East-West shipping lines. 

 

The Group’s current footprint in Egypt includes:

• Around 300 CMA CGM and CEVA Logistics employees working from 6 offices;

• 17 weekly calls to 6 ports, linking the country to the rest of the world;

• More than 1,400 calls yearly, with 712 vessels crossing the Suez Canal, a major gateway for global trade.

 

In 2020, the CMA CGM Group reinforced its offerings with: 

• The expansion of the Jeddex service in July, covering the Port of Ain Sokhna while connecting the USA, the Mediterranean, Europe, Kenya and Somalia and improving transit time from Egypt to Mogadishu and Mombasa; 

• The entry into fleet, in November, of the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé (23,000 TEU), the world’s first and largest LNG Powered vessel to cross the Suez Canal, on her maiden voyage on the Group’s iconic French Asia Line (FAL 1), connecting Asia with Europe; 

• The development of CEVA Logistics, the Group can now provide its clients with a complete end-to-end service to complement its existing maritime activity.

 

The Group reiterates its support to the Egyptian economy through this partnership which aims at broadening the country’s national trade with a wider access to regional and global markets.