The shipowner CMA CGM increases the size of its French fleet by a third

The French group announced an investment of 2.5 billion euros to order ten new container ships.

A rapidly growing fleet. The shipowner CMA CGM announced on Tuesday, November 4, the registration of 10 new container ships under the French flag, increasing the size of its fleet registered in France by 33%. The first of ten ships, currently under construction in Chinese shipyards, will be delivered in June 2026 and the last at the end of 2028. This will bring the number of French-flagged ships in the shipowner’s fleet to 40, compared to 30 currently, CMA CGM wrote in a press release.

CMA CGM currently operates over 650 vessels in its fleet, with just under half fully owned and the remainder chartered. Nearly 5% of these ships carry the French flag. The ten boats concerned represent an investment of 2.5 billion euros, CMA CGM told AFP.

The announcement comes a few days after the abandonment of a proposed amendment to the 2026 budget providing for the elimination of the tax reduction that shipowners in France have benefited from for more than 20 years if they register their boats in the country – a project which greatly worried shipowners.