CMA CGM delivers robust first-quarter results

Despite an unstable geopolitical climate and an uncertain market environment, the CMA CGM Group achieved a solid performance in the first quarter of 2025. The global shipping and logistics market has been weathering a highly volatile period since the start of the year. Rising tensions from the introduction of trade barriers, combined with destabilising geopolitical conflicts, are disrupting the operation of supply chains, which now need to be adapted to the new situation. In this environment, the CMA CGM Group has once again demonstrated agility and resilience.

Underpinned by solid fundamentals and an ambitious strategy, the Group delivered robust first-quarter results, demonstrating its ability to quickly adapt to market developments while continuing to make key investments across its entire value chain in support of its customers and its commitments to innovation and decarbonisation. Highlight:

Following the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Marseille in February, a symbol of strengthening strategic ties with India in the transport and logistics sector, the CMA CGM Vitoria (the Group’s first Indian-flagged vessel) docked at Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal in a tangible affirmation of closer cooperation. After the many operational challenges of 2024 caused by the situation in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, 2025 got underway against a backdrop of market uncertainty created by escalating geopolitical tensions and a resumption of the trade war between the United States and China.

Nevertheless, demand for transport and logistics services remained buoyant, enabling the Group to deliver a solid performance for the first quarter of 2025. Revenue stood at USD 13.3 billion in the first quarter of 2025, driven mostly by the Group’s maritime shipping business. EBITDA totalled USD 3.1 billion, 29.1% higher than in first-quarter 2024. EBITDA margin came in at 23.3%, up 3.1 points. CMA CGM carried 5.8 million TEUs in the first quarter of 2025, up 4.2% from the prior-year period.

The increase can be attributed to sustained global trade and demand for freight transport in the first quarter. Consolidated revenue from maritime shipping operations amounted to USD 8.8 billion over the quarter, up 11.5% year on year. EBITDA totalled USD 2.5 billion, 30.0% higher than in first-quarter 2024. EBITDA margin came in at 28.9%, up 4.1 points. Average revenue per TEU amounted to USD 1,498, up 7.1% year on year. In the first quarter, the Group’s logistics activities continued to grow, boosted in particular by the consolidation of Bolloré Logistics on February 29, 2024, and good momentum in Contract Logistics.

Automotive market challenges hampered the performance of the Finished Vehicle Logistics and Road Haulage businesses, particularly in Europe. Revenue from logistics activities totalled USD 4.3 billion in the first quarter of the year. EBITDA stood at USD?399 million, a 10.5% increase on first-quarter 2024. The start of 2025 was shaped by a deteriorating geopolitical environment and the announcement of a significant increase in Customs duties by countries such as the United States and China. If fully implemented, such measures could have a long-term impact on international trade volumes, while the Red Sea shipping disruptions observed throughout 2024 persist.

Visibility of trends in global trade remains limited and depends on potential tariff policy announcements and new geopolitical developments. Effective capacity management, cost control, route diversification and transformation through investment in optimisation, monitoring and forecasting technologies are essential to maintaining competitiveness. The CMA CGM Group is taking care to adapt to this complex environment and anticipate market dynamics in order to seize profitable growth opportunities while limiting the risks associated with this phase of instability, it observed in a communique.

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