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CMA CGM embarks on major Africa push by land and by sea

FRENCH shipping group CMA CGM is launching a major offensive to aggressively expand in Africa at sea and on land, describing 2014 as the year of "African ambition" in a new advertising campaign.

This new campaign highlights the group's activities in Senegal, Somalia, Nigeria, Mozambique and Mauritania, and utilises a CMA CGM Africamax vessel specially built to optimise operations in African ports.

The company said in a statement that it aims to reinforce its maritime services with the opening of new trades and port calls, modernisation of port infrastructure, extension of intermodal transport solutions to deliver cargo inland, and by creating new logistic platforms to offer a wide range of additional services, including storage and stuffing.

Highlights so far this year include the opening earlier this month of a second container platform, the Terminal Conteneurs Dakar 2 (TCD2), to serve Senegal's import/export market.

This second platform managed and operated by CMA CGM in Dakar boosts the full/empty storage capacity of the TCD1 that has been operated by the group for three years to 1,000 TEU.

"The TCD1 and TCD2 platforms will regroup full and empty bonded container storage activities, local deliveries (10 tractors and 30 own operated trailers), stuffing and unstuffing, transit, railway and road transport, notably to Mali, as well as a 64 plugs reefer zone," the release said.

Also this month the group commenced operations at two new agencies in Nouakchott and Nouadibhou in Mauritania.

In January an agreement was signed for a 25 per cent stake in Lekki Terminal in Nigeria by wholly-owned group subsidiary, CMA Terminals.

Also last month, it launched a new feeder service dedicated to Mozambican ports, called Rhino Express, as well as the Noura Express, a new service linking the world with Somalia through its hub in Khor Fakkan.

In 2013 CMA CGM transported 1.2 million TEU to/from Africa. The company entered the Africa trade in 2001 with the WAX service that linked West Africa to China, and consolidated its presence with the 2006 acquisition of Delmas, a maritime transport provider in Africa.