Brittany Ferries and the CMA CGM Group announced that CMA CGM has agreed to make a €25m investment in Brittany Ferries, including €10m in quasi-equity. CMA CGM hopes to support Brittany Ferries’ post-COVID-19 recovery.
Through the agreement, CMA CGM will use available cargo space on board of Brittany Ferries’ services to the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Iberian Peninsula. The transportation of goods aboard Brittany Ferries’ roll-on roll-off (roro) ships aims at expanding the CMA CGM Group’s offering in the roro sector for the Atlantic and northern coast of France to destinations in the United Kingdom. Under this agreement, a representative of the CMA CGM Group will also join Brittany Ferries’ Supervisory Board. Both companies hope to be able to introduce new roro services and promote the development of cross-Channel shipping.
Additionally, both companies are looking to develop liquefied natural gas (LNG) to power their ships and achieve greener shipping and logistics solutions. Two new LNG-powered ships are due to join Brittany Ferries’ fleet in 2022 and in 2023. The new Ro-pax vessels will operate services between the United Kingdom and Spain.
Brittany Ferries is also looking to introduce a new rail freight service to expand its multimodal offering. By the end of 2022, the company hopes to offer its customers an unaccompanied trailer transport service on the Atlantic coast rail network between Bayonne and Cherbourg.
Overall, the partnership hopes to assist Brittany Ferries in gaining more expertise in freight and logistics and adapt to post-COVID-19 trends in goods transportation by offering new transport services to better meet the needs of its customers.
Source: CMA CGM
