CMA CGM has announced the launch of Vietnam’s first fully electric container barge, marking a significant step in the decarbonisation of river transport in Southeast Asia.
The initiative is supported by the construction of a solar-powered charging station at Cai Mep port, the country’s main container gateway near Ho Chi Minh City.
As part of this development, CMA CGM has entered into an agreement with its long-standing partner Gemadept, a leading logistics and port operator in Vietnam, to form a joint venture named Green River Transportation.
This new entity will operate the electric barge and manage river transport services in the Mekong Delta, reinforcing both companies’ commitment to sustainable logistics.
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The electric barge, scheduled to enter service in early 2026, was jointly designed by CMA CGM’s CMA Ships and R&D teams. It will be powered by a dedicated charging station linked to a new solar farm at the Gemalink terminal in Cai Mep.
The facility is expected to generate up to 1 GWh of green electricity per year. According to CMA CGM, this zero-emission solution will reduce CO2 emissions by 778 tonnes annually on the 180 km route between Binh Duong Province and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu in southern Vietnam.
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NIKE, a long-term customer of CMA CGM, is the first partner to commit to using the electric barge for its logistics flows between manufacturing sites in Vietnam and the Gemalink container terminal.
This low-carbon logistics model is designed to be replicated with other customers and potentially in additional countries, particularly where inland waterways are integral to supply chains.
This initiative forms part of CMA CGM’s global strategy to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, combining low-carbon technologies, alternative fuels, and now zero-emissions river logistics solutions.
