CNES and CMA CGM sign unique partnership agreement to spawn innovative solutions for shipping, logistics and the space industry
Meeting at the Toulouse Space Centre on Thursday 10 June, CNES Chairman & CEO Philippe Baptiste and Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman & CEO of the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, signed a unique partnership agreement, according to the company's release.
This five-year agreement will call on the respective expertise of CNES and CMA CGM to identify, design and develop innovative solutions together to serve shipping, logistics and the space industry.
Under the agreement, CNES and CMA CGM’s experts will be focusing on a range of topics including:
Smart ship routing to enhance safety at sea to aid crews and closely manage shipping’s environmental footprint. Data on currents, winds and waves will notably help to further optimize sea crossings and make them safer while developing effective management of future hybrid ship propulsion systems.
The maritime energy transition, through sharing of experience with hydrogen and practices for producing, storing, distributing, filling and using this future ‘green’ fuel, exploiting economies of scale to make it a viable prospect.
Upgrading of port activities and infrastructures, employing digital technologies to ease flows and paying special attention to environmental impacts.
Contributions of the space sector to optimizing logistics in order to develop a reliable and sustainable end-to-end service for global tracking of goods.
Under their partnership agreement, CNES and the CMA CGM Group, both members of the French Maritime Cluster, will be working with start-ups and SMEs and relying on their entities charged with supporting business development and start-ups (ZEBOX, CMA CGM Venture and Connect by CNES), as well as on CMA CGM’s R&D teams.
These focus areas were defined through Connect by CNES, the space agency’s initiative to put its expertise to work in helping firms develop innovative products and services leveraging space technologies and solutions. Analysis has concentrated on seeking ways of exploiting space data and services to enhance mobility management in the maritime sector.
This approach ties in with CMA CGM’s ambition to forge partnerships outside the shipping industry and offer innovative and disruptive solutions to build the shipping and logistics of the future for its customers and to preserve the environment.
During his visit, Rodolphe Saadé was also given a tour of the control room of Cospas-Sarsat, the global system that collects, locates and forwards distress signals from emergency beacons, and the facilities at the French Operations Centre for Science and Exploration (FOCSE). Satellite-based data service providers CLS and Kineis also presented their smart ship routing and space-based Internet of Things (IoT) solutions designed to meet the digital needs of shipowners.
About CMA CGM
Led by Rodolphe Saadé, the CMA CGM Group is a world leader in shipping and logistics. Its 561 vessels serve more than 420 ports around the world, on all five continents. In 2020, they transported nearly 21 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) containers. With CEVA Logistics, a world leader in logistics services, CMA CGM handles 400,000 tons of airfreight and 2.8 million tons of inland freight every year.
CMA CGM is constantly innovating to offer customers new maritime, inland and logistics solutions. Present on every continent and in 160 countries through its network of more than 400 offices and 750 warehouses, the Group employs more than 110,000 people worldwide, of which 2,400 are in Marseille where its head office is located.
About CNES
CNES is the government agency responsible for shaping France’s space policy and implementing it in Europe. Its task is to conceive and orbit satellites, invent the space systems of the future and nurture new services to aid us in our daily lives.
Founded in 1961, it is the initiator of major space projects, launch vehicles and satellites, and the partner of choice for industry, supporting exports and fuelling innovation. CNES is working in infinite fields of applications in five core areas of focus: Ariane, science, Earth observation, telecommunications and defence.
CNES is a key player driving technology research, economic development and industrial policy for the nation. It also fosters scientific collaborations and has forged numerous international partnerships.
France, represented by CNES, is the leading contributor to the European Space Agency (ESA), which conducts Europe’s space policy on behalf of its 22 member states.
