Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive officer of the French group CMA CGM, has responded positively to US President Trump’s strong call for investment in the United States. On 6 March 2025, the influential businessman stated his commitment to investing twenty billion dollars in American transport and logistics. This declaration coincides with the move by rival Aponte, whose Terminal Investment, a subsidiary of MSC, is partnering with the Blackstone fund to acquire Hutchison Ports, a terminal operator managing container terminals in Panama. This, too, appears to align with the US president’s economic ambitions, with a financial commitment similar to that of the French firm, amounting to approximately 22 billion dollars.
“Over the next four years, we will significantly increase our US-flagged fleet, expand capacity at key ports on both coasts, develop state-of-the-art warehouses across the country, and establish a major air transport hub in Chicago. This will create 10,000 new jobs and further strengthen our collaboration with American customers and public authorities,” Saadé announced.
The French company explained that the investment will be allocated across several strategic areas. One priority is the enhancement of the US shipbuilding industry and the expansion of the American-flagged fleet, in line with recent US government directives aimed at strengthening the national maritime sector. In this context, CMA CGM plans to increase the capacity of its subsidiary, American President Lines, which currently operates ten US-flagged container ships with storage capacities ranging from 1,700 to 5,500 TEU.
Another major initiative involves expanding port infrastructure in key logistics hubs across the country. Targeted locations include New York, Los Angeles, Dutch Harbor, Houston, and Miami, where improvements will focus on increasing operational efficiency, accelerating digitalisation, enhancing connectivity, and ensuring greater security for workers and goods in transit.
The investment also includes the development of new warehouses and logistics platforms dedicated to the automotive sector, aimed at ensuring greater security and reliability in the national supply chain. The company will invest in logistics research and development by establishing a new innovation centre in Boston. This facility will develop advanced automation and robotics solutions in collaboration with US technology firms. Another component of the plan involves air transport, with the opening of a cargo hub in Chicago. CMA CGM Group plans to deploy five new Boeing 777 aircraft, operated by US pilots.
Meanwhile, at sea, CMA CGM’s transport capacity has surpassed that of its Danish competitor Maersk, securing second place behind MSC. According to Alphaliner, the French company’s fleet now has a total capacity of 5.42 million TEU, 140,000 more than Maersk. However, it remains significantly behind MSC, which boasts a capacity of 8.47 million TEU. CMA CGM has recently placed an order with the Chinese shipyard CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard for twelve 18,000-TEU container ships, which will also be capable of operating on liquefied natural gas.
