Electric Container Barge Launched in Vietnam

CMA CGM, Nike and Vietnamese port operator Gemadept have launched a fully electric inland container barge service connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the Gemalink deep-sea terminal at Cai Mep, combining battery propulsion, dedicated charging infrastructure and renewable electricity. The barge will transport Nike cargo between an inland drop-off location in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly part of Binh Duong province, and Gemalink over a 180-km round trip. Designed to handle more than 50,000 TEU annually, the vessel offers an alternative to road transportation while producing no direct greenhouse gas emissions during operation. According to the partners, the service is expected to avoid approximately 778 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Developed by CMA CGM's New Build and R&D teams, the barge incorporates battery technology supplied by CATL. Its batteries can be recharged in approximately four hours using certified renewable electricity. The charging infrastructure at Gemalink is supported by a dedicated solar farm developed at the terminal, integrating renewable power generation with inland waterway transportation. The project is intended to reduce emissions associated with Nike's cargo movements while demonstrating how electric propulsion can be incorporated into existing port and logistics networks. "Decarbonizing global supply chains requires moving beyond ambition to deliver concrete, scalable solutions," said Christine Cabau, Executive Vice President Assets and Operations at CMA CGM. The companies are evaluating opportunities to replicate the arrangement in other markets and adapt it to additional customer supply chains. For CMA CGM, the initiative expands its intermodal logistics activities in Vietnam, where the company operates 29 weekly mainline shipping services calling at seven…

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