CMA CGM launches the first fully electric river container barge in Vietnam
CMA CGM has announced the launch of the first fully electric river container barge in Vietnam, developed in partnership with Nike. The initiative includes the construction of a solar-powered charging station at the port of Cai Mep, the country’s main container hub. The project is the result of a joint venture with Vietnamese logistics operator Gemadept, named Green River Transportation, which will handle transport operations in the Mekong Delta. The goal is to reduce emissions in inland transport and support the French group’s Net Zero Carbon strategy.
New rail connections between Marseille and Lyon
CMA CGM is strengthening intermodal services between Marseille and Lyon in support of rail freight and to meet growing demand in the Rhône-Alpes region. The new service offers five weekly departures in both directions for exports and imports. Strong connections are ensured with eight trade routes, including West and East Med. Transit times are short: two days for exports from Lyon to Marseille and three days for imports. Optimised connections include Lyon-Tunis in five days, Casablanca in seven, and Algiers in twelve.
Poti TransTerminal to open on 9 June
On 23 May 2025, Poti TransTerminal JSC received its certificate of occupancy from Georgian authorities and is preparing for its official opening on 9 June. Built in just 16 months with a private investment of 31.5 million US dollars, the terminal is the result of cooperation between Kazakh, Georgian and Azerbaijani investors within the Trans-Caspian Corridor. Equipped with gantry cranes unique in the region and capable of handling 50 containers per hour, the terminal has an initial capacity of over 80,000 TEU per year, expandable to 200,000. Its rail infrastructure allows simultaneous handling of 120 wagons. The facility currently employs 50 people, with plans to grow to 120 by the end of the year.
Slight increase in the Container Throughput Index in April
The Container Throughput Index, developed by the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the ISL, rose in April to 137.3 points (seasonally adjusted), compared to 136.2 points in March. Despite trade tensions and the 145% increase in US tariffs on Chinese imports by mid-April, volumes at US ports remain within normal fluctuations. The North Range Index also increased to 113.3 points from 112.2, while traffic at Chinese ports rose to 155.8 from 152.9 points.
Second phase of the intermodal facility in Lianyungang
In Lianyungang, in China’s Jiangsu province, construction is underway on the second phase of the intermodal platform for international transport under the Belt and Road Initiative. With a total investment of 500 million yuan, the project includes an intelligent sorting centre for domestic and international markets, a processing and distribution hub, a customs centre for intermediate industrial products, and an integrated IT service centre based on big data and cloud computing, all on a site covering 12.6 hectares. Equipped with storage facilities, temperature-controlled warehouses, customs operations, transaction handling and distribution infrastructure, the base is expected to be completed by August 2025. It aims to work in partnership with the Aktau Park in Kazakhstan to form an interconnected development model of “two countries, two parks”, serving a wide area from Central Asia to China and Southeast Asia, providing comprehensive support for goods circulation along the Belt and Road.
New contracts worth 400,000 euros for Circle in logistics interoperability
Circle has announced progress on its strategic project for IT interoperability across logistics nodes, supported by new contracts worth a total of 400,000 euros. The initiative, led primarily by its subsidiary eXyond, involves several Italian intermodal nodes and aims to develop federated services for integrating public and private information systems. The project includes the development of technological connectors to ensure full interoperability with digital platforms such as the e-CMR, in line with European standards for the digitalisation of freight transport.
