Macron urges other boxlines to follow CMA CGM’s lead and shun the Northern Sea Route
While many of its peers including Maersk, Cosco and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) have made Arctic trips, France’s CMA CGM has ruled out moving cargoes through the area. In a tweet, Rodolphe Saade, the chairman of the French containerline, said he had decided that his company will not use the Northern Sea Route.
“This is a bold choice for the preservation of the Arctic that has an essential role in regulating ocean currents and global climate patterns,” Saade wrote.
Saade’s decision was backed up by France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the G7 summit in Biarritz. Over the weekend, Macron called on other containerlines to avoid using the Arctic shipping route to protect the environment.
The #Arctic sea is one of the last natural reserves in the world. Not only it is home for wild fauna & flora, but it also plays a major role in regulating the planet’s climate.
We want to be a model for sustainable global prosperity. #G7Biarritz #Sustainability #cmacgm #NSR pic.twitter.com/VGL09qVHNt— CMA CGM Group (@cmacgm) August 25, 2019
Excellent initiative which puts Maersk in a slightly awkward position, as they were recently trumpeting their pioneering efforts to gather information on the NSR and open this for more regular liner shipping use.
Was this going to be one of the subjects on the agenda of Skou’s intended meeting with Trump in Denmark? #GoMette
Containershipping lines definitely need to take a bold stance regarding their impact on the environment, and NOT use the northern route. Urgent need to protect our environment
Call me a cynic but is this really the only reason that CMA aren’t going to take on this route, or are there other (more commercial) reasons for this that aren’t being given? I find it very surprising that any major shipping line can afford not to serve a profitable route?