Global shipping giant CMA CGM has officially signed a contract with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) to construct six 1,700 TEU LNG-fueled feeder container vessels.
The contract was formalised during a ceremony in New Delhi on Wednesday, attended by Shri Shantanu Thakur (Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways) and Rodolphe Saadé (Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group).
The six new feeder vessels will be built at CSL’s facilities in Kochi and registered under the Indian flag. This project significantly bolsters India’s commercial shipbuilding order book.
The groundwork for this order was laid during high-level strategic dialogues. While visiting France in February 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi toured the CMA CGM headquarters alongside the French President. During that meeting, CMA CGM’s leadership expressed strong interest in exploring the Indian shipping framework to build and flag vessels locally.
This formal shipbuilding contract is the culmination of a previously signed Letter of Intent (LoI). Having finalised the complex vessel specifications and techno-commercial terms, CSL and CMA CGM are now moving forward with a project that will bring modern, green-shipping technology directly into the Indian maritime ecosystem.