CMA CGM is pushing forward with a plan to decarbonize the corridor between Marseille-Fos and Lyon. The shipping giant has announced a new electric container barge service on the Rhone River, backed by a consortium including the Banque des Territoires and regional CCIs.
Lyon Terminal Upgrade , The barge is the centerpiece of a €40 million investment plan over two years to modernize the port of Edouard Herriot. CMA CGM and its partners secured the sub-concession for the Lyon Rhone Terminal back in April 2025.
The initiative aims to create a reliable, low-carbon link between the deep-sea port at Marseille and the inland hub at Lyon. The targets for 2030 are ambitious:
River: Double volumes to 100,000 TEU per year.
Rail: Double volumes to 60,000 TEU per year.
To make the electric hybrid barge a reality, CMA CGM is working with the Compagnie Nationale du Rhone (CNR) to install charging stations in Lyon and Arles.
This follows a similar move by CMA CGM in Vietnam last year, where they partnered to build a fully electric 180-TEU barge for Nike. That vessel connects the port of Cai Mep with inland factories, proving that the carrier is serious about electrifying inland waterways globally.