Big plans on India, $300 mn project investment soon: CMA CGM chairman

CMA CGM chief Rodolphe Saade outlines $650 million-plus India expansion plan spanning shipbuilding, ports and logistics.

In February 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron visited the Marseille headquarters of CMA CGM, the world’s third largest container shipping company, and it developed a “strategic roadmap” for India to become a maritime power. Fast forward to a year later, Rodolphe Saade, the $55-billion conglomerate’s chairman and chief executive officer, has arrived in India as part of Macron’s delegation to seal the deal on a historic first, with a $350 million contract signing with state-owned Cochin Shipyard for six dual-fuel vessels, along with plans to develop more ships and procuring containers from India. In an interview with Dhruvaksh Saha, Saade talks about these plans. Edited excerpts:

 

What new projects are you looking at as part of your India growth plan?

 

We are looking at logistics platforms in India. I can’t specify which one, but we are looking at a big one not very far from the Mumbai area. We are also looking at ports, because what is missing is deep sea ports. India is growing in exports and imports, so they need ports which can handle bigger ships.

 

Are there any particular port projects that you are eyeing?

 

Yes, Vadhavan Port is one, and there are other projects on the east coast of India as well. There are many which we are looking at, but we are in early stages as of now. We need a bit of time.

 

Another global executive of CMA CGM had said that you’re eyeing operations in inland waterways, which is a sector that is still nascent. How do you plan to move forward and do you foresee any issues?

 

Yes, we are looking at waterways operations in India. The issue remains the same – getting financial support from the government and also making sure, in the case of waterways, that there is sufficient draft to allow barges to operate. I think this will come as there is a strong need for waterways to develop and grow. We just have to be patient.

 

What kind of investment plans are there along the multiple verticals?

 

In a very short period of time, we have already invested around $350 million with the order for six 1700 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, a standard container size) ships. The logistics platform near Mumbai that we are looking at will entail around $300 million of additional investment. So, adding up our several plans of investments, we are talking big numbers here. We believe in the development and growth of India and we would like to be a part of it.

 

One of the pillars of the strategic roadmap for you was enabling GIFT City as a space for registration of vessels. What are the plans there?

 

We have four vessels that are Indian-flagged and we are looking at adding more. We are in the process of hiring 1,000 seafarers for our ships.

 

With only a few established countries dominating shipbuilding, is there a strategic need to have another supply base, and is the Cochin Shipyard order a test case for a larger plan on shipbuilding here?

 

Yes, there is room for a third country to build ships. We usually build ships in China or South Korea and this is the first time we are building in India. Now, the question is more for Cochin Shipyard on whether it will be in a position to build ships bigger than 1700 TEUs.