CMA CGM Reveals Plan for Electric Container Barge Service on Rhône River
Shipping giant CMA CGM Group revealed that it is pursuing a plan to launch an electric river container barge on the Rhône River. The company is working in partnership with several organizations to launch the service, reporting that it will be able to transport nearly 12,000 TEU annually and represents an 80 percent reduction in CO2 emissions versus the trucks that currently move containers on the A7 motorway.
Plans call for launching the barge service within two years, using a hybrid electric river barge on the Fos-Lyon axis. Talks are underway to build the barge in Europe, with Combronde as the operator, and for marketing the service. The barge will be 185 meters (approximately 607 feet) with a capacity for 156 TEU.
CMA CGM is working in partnership with the Banque des Territoires, the CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne, and the CCI métropolitaine Aix-Marseille-Provence, sub-concessionaire of the container terminal at the port of Édouard Herriot.
The barge is part of a larger plan for the modernization of the terminal operations in Lyon. The companies report they plan to invest €40 million over two years in developing the terminal operations. CMA CGM and the group obtained the sub-concession for the Lyon Rhone Terminal in April 2025.
According to the companies, the initiative aims to promote a regular, reliable, competitive, and decarbonized logistics solution between the port of Marseille-Fos, Lyon, and the Rhône Valley. The goal is to accelerate a modal shift and to relieve congestion on the roads. By 2030, the group aims to double river volumes to reach 100,000 TEU per year and double rail volume to 60,000 TEU per year.
To facilitate the electric hybrid barge, the company reports it is working closely with the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) on technical studies relating to charging stations in Lyon and Arles.
It is not the first effort by CMA CGM to launch electric river container barges. Last year, it announced a deal to develop and operate fully electric container barges on inland routes in Vietnam. The barge, which will have a capacity of 180 TEU, is being built in China. It will be used to move products for Nike to the port in Cai Mep, Vietnam. The service is due to launch this year, and CMA CGM has said it would study the project for application in other areas.
China Starts Sea Trials for Largest Electric-Powered Containership
China’s first 10,000-ton electric containership is beginning sea trials. The shipyard is billing the ship as the largest of its kind and a further breakthrough in short-sea shipping.
The Ning Yuan Dian Kun was launched in September 2025 and has completed its outfitting, berth tests, and mooring trials. The ship set out from its builders, Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, on February 1. It will be off Shanghai, undergoing its trials between February 6 and 13.
They plan to assess the battery power supply as well as propulsion performance during the sea trials. They will also be testing the ship’s autonomous navigation systems.
The vessel measures nearly 128 meters (420 feet) in length. It has a capacity of 740 TEU. It is reported to have a maximum speed of 11.5 knots.
The power system uses 10 containerized batteries capable of generating up to 19,000 KWh. The batteries will drive two 875 KW permanent magnet propulsion motors, and it will be possible to either recharge the batteries using high-voltage shore connections or quickly swap the batteries for charged batteries. In addition, the vessel has photovoltaic power cells to provide additional power.
The autonomous navigation system can perform sailing as well as route planning and collision avoidance.
Shipyard officials are hailing the vessel as a combination of green and smart shipbuilding and a key step in the evolution of short-sea shipping.
When delivered, the vessel will be operating for Ningbo Ocean Shipping. It is the first of at least two battery-powered vessels the company is building for its feeder service to the Ningbo-Zhoushan port.
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