CMA CGM Group has signed a letter of intent with Cochin Shipyard Ltd for the construction of six 1,700 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) dual-fuel container ships powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). This order marks a first for an international shipping company selecting an Indian shipbuilder to construct LNG vessels. All ships will be registered under the Indian flag, reinforcing the Group’s commitment to the country’s maritime ecosystem.
A strategic order rooted in India
The state-owned Cochin Shipyard will execute the contract in collaboration with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Deliveries are scheduled between 2029 and 2031. This move aligns with CMA CGM’s broader strategy to diversify its industrial value chain while deepening its presence in India, where it has operated for 34 years and currently employs 17,000 people. Four additional vessels will be flagged in India starting in 2025.
Aligned with India’s public policies Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, the project benefits from governmental backing. CMA CGM plans to employ 1,000 Indian seafarers by the end of the year, with a further 500 to be recruited in 2026. This approach strengthens local hiring while contributing to the country’s shipbuilding industrialisation.
Maritime and logistics expansion in parallel
CMA CGM is also investing in Indian port infrastructure, holding stakes in terminals at Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal (NSFT) and Mundra Port. The Group manages its Global Business Services unit from Chennai, employing 9,000 staff and coordinating more than half of its global transactional operations.
Its subsidiary CEVA Logistics operates in 31 Indian cities across 105 sites, managing nearly 900,000 m² of warehouse space. The acquisition of Stellar Value Chain Solutions (Stellar VCS) in 2023 further solidified CEVA’s role in India’s contract logistics sector.
Cochin Shipyard at the heart of India’s maritime strategy
Based in Kerala, Cochin Shipyard is a cornerstone of India’s Maritime India Vision 2030 and Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047. The public shipyard is emerging as a key industrial partner in expanding Indian shipbuilding internationally. Its collaboration with CMA CGM on this order boosts its global visibility in the alternative fuel vessel market.
This partnership reflects a joint dynamic between a global logistics operator and a growing shipbuilding industry, with implications for future global fleet development and long-term industrial maritime positioning.
