French shipping major CMA CGM will play a pivotal role in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the company said in a statement after the visit of Indian prime minister Shri Narendra Modi along with French president Emmanuel Macron to the company’s headquarters in Marseille on Wednesday.
At the invitation of the French president Emmanuel Macron, the prime minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, paid a visit to France on 10-12 February 2025.
This was prime minister Modi’s sixth visit to France, and follows president Macron’s visit to India in January 2024 as the chief guest for the 75th Republic day of India.
Macron and Modi recalled the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) on the margins of the G20 summit in Delhi in September 2023 and agreed to work together more closely on implementing the initiative.
Both leaders stressed the importance of IMEC to foster connectivity, sustainable growth trajectories and access to clean energy across these regions. In this regard, they acknowledged the strategic location of Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea.
They also underlined the key importance of strengthening EU-India relations, in view of the upcoming India-EU summit at the earliest possible in New Delhi.
Noting the record level of bilateral trade in 2024, Macron and Modi acknowledged that there is vast untapped potential for trade and investment between the two countries.
The leaders also called for enhancing trade and investment ties and in this regard welcomed the report of the 14th India- France CEOs Forum.
“As India expands its maritime and trade networks, collaborations with industry leaders will play a crucial role in boosting connectivity, supply chains and economic growth. We are working towards enhancing India-France cooperation in logistics, sustainability and global trade, reinforcing our shared vision for a better maritime future,” Narendra Modi said in a post on X after the visit.
PM @narendramodi and President @EmmanuelMacron visited the CMA-CGM control room in Marseille, strengthening India-France collaboration in logistics, sustainability and global trade for a better maritime future. pic.twitter.com/CCSIm2Nc5K
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 12, 2025
As part of his state visit to France, the two leaders were welcomed by Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, at the group’s headquarters in Marseille.
Discussions focused on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a strategic trade route designed to enhance connectivity between India and Europe.
The IMEC project aims to enhance transit between Europe and India through integrated maritime and land infrastructure while also facilitating energy transport and telecommunications via a subsea cable.
This strategic corridor will significantly boost trade between the European Union and the Middle East.
With key port hubs in India, the UAE, and the Mediterranean and a 34-year presence in India, the CMA CGM Group connects the country to the rest of the world through 19 maritime services.
“A network of dry ports along the IMEC rail route stretching from India through Saudi Arabia and the Middle East to Europe will leverage the Group’s logistics expertise, reinforcing the economic and strategic vision of this alternative trade route,” reads the company’s statement.
The Group is also developing port infrastructure in India, with strategic investments in terminals at Nhava Sheva Freeport (NSFT), near Mumbai, and Mundra Port.
CEVA Logistics, CMA CGM’s logistics subsidiary, operates across 105 sites in 31 Indian cities, managing around 900,000 square meters of warehouse space. The acquisition of Stellar VCS in 2023 further strengthened CEVA Logistics’ role in India’s contract logistics sector.
