Rodolphe Saadé, vice chairman of CMA CGM, has confirmed the giant French line is holding discussions about creating a new container alliance, something that would torpedo the Ocean Three alliance as well as sending major ripples across all the other existing alliances.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Saadé, son of the line’s chairman, said: “We are becoming a larger shipping line and we are in the position to select the partners with whom we want to do business.”
The Ocean Three alliance agreement between CMA CGM, UASC and China runs for two years, ending at the end of 2016, Saadé said. “There are many rumours in the market about who we are talking to,” he said. “In our industry everybody talks to everybody.”
CMA CGM has been linked with a new Greater Chinese alliance with newly merged China Cosco Shipping Corp, OOCL and Evergreen, although none of these potential partners have confirmed the possibility when contacted by Splash this month.
