G-7 Mandate: CMA CGM Foregoes the Northern Sea Route

In a move to address supply chain management concerns about global climate change, French President Emmanuel Macron invited representatives of the shipping industry including global leader CMA CGM to Elysée Palace prior to the recently-concluded G7 meeting at Biarritz

At this meeting, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, announced two major decisions certain to have an impact on the future of the maritime industry:

• the CMA CGM fleet will not use the Northern Sea Route
• the Group will give priority to liquefied natural gas to power its future ships

Today, the Northern Sea Route, which runs the length of the Siberian Coast, connects Asia to Europe. It has been made navigable due to the effects of global warming. Rich in its unique and largely unexplored biodiversity, the Arctic plays an essential role in regulating ocean currents and global climate patterns.

The use of the Northern Sea Route will represent a significant danger to the unique natural ecosystems of this part of the world, mainly due to the numerous threats posed by accidents, oil pollution or collisions with marine wildlife.

To avoid posing a greater threat to this fragile environment, Rodolphe Saadé has decided that none of the CMA CGM Group's 500 vessels will use the Northern Sea Route along Siberia, which is now open due to climate change.

“We make these choices to meet the needs of our employees and our customers, who are increasingly concerned about the environment,” says Saadé. “But above all, we make these decisions for the future, to leave our children a cleaner planet.”

SC
MR