French shipping and logistics giant CMA-CGM Group, the third-largest container shipping company in the world, has announced an electric barge project in Vietnam.

The battery-powered barge will transport goods between Binh Duong Province and deep-sea terminal Gemalink, with 25 percent of its stake owned by CMA-CGM Group, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, a representative of the company told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday.

With each 180-kilometer round-trip, the e-barge is not only expected to enhance the efficiency of inland waterway transport but also to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 778 metric tons annually.

The e-barge's charging infrastructure will be supported by a newly built solar farm at the deep-sea terminal, capable of generating one gigawatt-hour of electricity per year.

The e-barge, co-designed by CMA CGM’s R&D team and leading battery producer CATL, is capable of transporting over 50,000 TEUs annually after beginning operations in 2026.

Notably, the project will highlight cooperation between CMA CGM and NIKE, which is committed to using the e-barge for the transportation of NIKE products from Binh Duong Province to Gemalink.  

The e-barge project will not only contribute to boosting socio-economic growth in Vietnam’s southern region, but also increase the nation’s competitiveness in the renewable energy and logistics fields.

On November 19, Mathieu Friedberg, senior vice-president of CMA-CGM, told Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha that the group was planning to invest in an e-barge project with its operations along inland waterway routes.

The group is running four shipping lines serving six international seaports in Vietnam with 15 international routes connecting the country to Europe, the U.S., and other key destinations.

CMA CGM Group has over 160,000 employees working in 160 nations and more than 650 ships that connect 400 ports worldwide.

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